SCOTLAND

Nuclear Power Station

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the planning process for applications to build a new nuclear power station in Scotland.

David Cairns: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues, including energy matters. However, responsibility for the planning process is devolved to Scottish Ministers.

Disabled Children: Financial Support

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on HM Treasury's review of support for the families of disabled children.

Des Browne: I speak regularly to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of topics. The disabled children's review reported in May 2007, setting out plans to improve the services available to disabled children and their families in England.

Post Offices: Highlands and Islands

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the Post Office network to the social and economic well-being of the highlands and islands; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Government recognise the value of the Post Office network and are seeking to strike a balance between the wider benefits of the network and the cost to the taxpayer. I would urge people to participate in area plan consultations to allow the Post Office to make informed decisions.

HMS Gannet

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the performance of the Royal Navy search and rescue team based at HMS Gannet in relation to civilians.

Des Browne: There have been no such discussions but my hon. Friend will be pleased to note that figures released by HMS Gannet state that the crews of the three Sea King search and rescue helicopters based there undertook 357 helicopter missions in 2007. This is around 100 more than the next closest UK helicopter base and an increase of 30 per cent. over last year's figures.
	All those at HMS Gannet have shown great dedication and professionalism. They have assisted 349 people on these missions, making it the greatest number of missions and people saved by any single UK search and rescue unit since Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre records began in 1983.

Winter Fuel Payments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on winter fuel payments for pensioners in Scotland.

David Cairns: I speak regularly to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a wide range of issues. I am pleased to report that over a million winter fuel payments are made in Scotland.

Aircraft Carriers: Construction

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive and the Ministry of Defence on the development of the skills base in Scotland in preparation for construction of the two aircraft carriers.

Des Browne: The development of skills in Scotland is largely a matter for the Scottish Executive. However, the Ministry of Defence works closely with suppliers in order to develop an understanding of its long-term shipbuilding plans so that the industry can plan recruitment and training accordingly. The anticipated contract for the manufacture of the two carriers potentially presents great opportunities for yards both on the Clyde and at Rosyth and highlights that Government spending on defence has a far reaching impact on Scotland's industrial base and also, the wider economy of Scotland.

Household Debt

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on levels of household debt in Scotland.

David Cairns: In the United Kingdom, household debt as a percentage of income is currently 169 per cent. This is in the context of rising levels of household assets and the lowest growth in total household debt for five years. Specific details on Scotland are not available.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent devolution cases the Advocate-General has considered; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: Since 24 October 2007, 89 devolution issues have been intimated to the Advocate-General. Of these 89 devolution issues, 52 related to criminal proceedings and 37 related to civil proceedings.

Nuclear Power Stations

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on new nuclear power stations in Scotland.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has had no such recent discussions. The decision to grant consent to construct or operate any power station, including nuclear, with a capacity in excess of 50 MW in Scotland lies with the Scottish Ministers.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Renewable Energy

Nia Griffith: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the percentage of electricity used on the parliamentary estate generated from renewable sources.

Nick Harvey: Since 1 April 2007 all the electricity consumed on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate has come from renewable sources.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of board of inquiry reports into deaths of armed services personnel in Afghanistan which occurred in September 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 21 January 2008
	We recognise that in high-profile cases the public interest is served by disclosure of the findings and recommendations of a Board of Inquiry. The main elements of such reports will normally be made available to the public via the following MOD website address, once the family has been briefed on its contents:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/BoardsOfInquiry/BoardsOflnquirybois.htm

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in securing the commitment of personnel from other European NATO member states to the international security assistance force in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: NATO nations have a made a collective commitment to Afghanistan and to meet the force levels set out in the Combined Joint Statement Of Requirements. Recent pledges made by European NATO members include additional forces from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Poland, Romania and Turkey.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the  (a) quality and  (b) quantity of (i) current and (ii) projected (A) married and (B) single living accommodation at Catterick.

Derek Twigg: Currently, single living accommodation (SLA) at Catterick Garrison is at the following grade for charge:
	
		
			   Number of bed-spaces 
			 Grade 1 (en-suite) 912 
			 Grade 1 (not en-suite) 1,024 
			 Grade 2 713 
			 Grade 3 2,513 
			 Grade 4 5,310 
		
	
	Under current plans, a further 3,186 SLA bed-spaces at Catterick will be at Grade 1 by 2015.
	The service family accommodation (SFA) at Catterick Garrison is at the following standard for condition (SfC).
	
		
			   Number of SFA 
			 SlfC 928 
			 S2fC 546 
			 S3fC 74 
			 S4fC 0 
		
	
	A full condition based asset survey is currently being conducted to inform future investment priorities for SFA at Catterick and elsewhere in Great Britain.

Armed Forces: Republic of Ireland

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) men and  (b) women registered as born in the Republic of Ireland serve in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy, (iii) Royal Marines and (iv) Royal Air Force as (A) commissioned officers and (B) other ranks; and what the equivalent figures were in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the number of Republic of Ireland Nationals(1) that serve in the UK armed forces(2,3) by service, gender and rank as at 1 April each year.
	(1) Nationality information has been used in place of country of birth as data on country of birth are currently unavailable.
	(2 )Data are for UK regular forces (trained and untrained), including nursing services and excluding full-time reserve service personnel, Ghurkhas, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.
	(3 )Information on nationality for Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel is only available post joint personnel administration implementation (6 October for Royal Navy and Royal Marines). Information on nationality for RAF personnel pre joint personnel administration (6 April for RAF) can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Information in the table is for Army personnel only in 1998 to 2005; for Army and RAF personnel in 2006 and for all services in 2007. All 2007 information and 2006 RAF information is marked as provisional due to the ongoing validation of joint personnel administration data.
	
		
			  Service  Rank  Gender  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Royal Navy Commissioned officers Male (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			   Female (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			  Other ranks Male (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 30 
			   Female (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			  
			 Royal Marines Commissioned officers Male (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			   Female (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			  Other ranks Male (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			   Female (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			  
			 Army Commissioned officers Male 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 30 40 
			   Female (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			  Other ranks Male 210 200 190 180 160 150 160 160 150 160 
			   Female 10 10 10 10 10 (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 10 
			  
			 RAF Commissioned officers Male (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— (2)— 
			   Female (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— (2)— 
			  Other ranks Male (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 20 20 
			   Female (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 10 (2)— 
			 (1) Data not available (2) Zero or rounded to zero.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  DASA (Quad-Service)

Armed Forces: Scotland

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow of units based in (i) Scotland and (ii) Wales was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The inflow and outflow of personnel to and from units are not produced routinely and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the  (a) combat and  (b) un-laden weight of the (i) WMIK, (ii) E-WMIK and (iii) M-WMIK vehicles.

Bob Ainsworth: The  (a) combat weight of WMIK, E-WMIK and M-WMIK vehicles will vary depending on the type of operation they are involved in. Additionally it would not be appropriate to release the combat weight of these vehicles as to do so would potentially prejudice the security and effectiveness of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
	The  (b) un-laden weight of the WMIK, E-WMIK and M-WMIK vehicles are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   (b) Un-laden weight kg 
			 WMIK 2,089 
			 E-WMIK 2,960 
			 M-WMIK 4,700

Chad: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the status of the European Security and Defence Policy mission to Chad;
	(2)  how many force generation conferences have taken place for the European Security and Defence Policy mission to Chad since August 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The Operation Commander for the ESDP mission to Chad and the Central African Republic, Lieutenant General Nash, has held five formal force generation conferences. These took place on 9 November, 14 November and 21 November, 19 December 2007 and 11 January 2008. After the fifth force generation conference on 11 January, General Nash confirmed that he now has enough forces and assets available to recommend launching the mission. The final phase of planning has now begun and is due to culminate at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 28 January, when the operation is expected to be formally launched. EUFOR is expected to reach its Initial Operational Capability (IOC) four to six weeks after a decision to launch the operation has been taken.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requirements his Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Derek Twigg: Contractors have a legal duty to comply with the requirements of the law of the land, including the Data Protection Act.
	In addition, the Department has standard defence contract conditions which protect against disclosure of information in general, and will also apply bespoke conditions where necessary.

Departmental Databases

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many electronic databases there are containing  (a) names,  (b) addresses,  (c) bank details and  (d) other personal information about members of the public within his Department.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Databases

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when each of his Department's electronic databases containing personal information on members of the public was first created;
	(2)  how many staff of each grade in his Department have access to electronic databases which contain personal information on members of the public;
	(3)  how many times his Department's databases containing personal information on members of the public have been accessed in each month of the last five years;
	(4)  how many times his Department's databases containing personal information on members of the public have been transferred  (a) physically and  (b) electronically in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental E-mail

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to reduce the number of hard copies of e-mails printed by officials in his Department.

Derek Twigg: The MOD discourages the unnecessary printing of e-mails as part of our overall policy of managing waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle). Where electronic documents are printed it is our policy that all unrestricted waste papers are consigned to recycling activities.
	An Information Management Protocol is currently being developed and this will reinforce that e-mails should not be printed unless absolutely necessary.

Departmental Redundancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of redundancies in his Department in the 12 months preceding  (a) 30 June 2004,  (b) 30 June 2005 and  (c) 30 June 2006.

Derek Twigg: To provide specific information would require a Department-wide trawl to ascertain total costs for all individuals who had left the Department on redundancy terms. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	We hold information centrally on a Department-wide voluntary early release scheme which was launched in March 2005, in connection with the civil service-wide reductions required under the 2004 spending review. The total liability cost to the Department of individuals who left or are expected to leave on voluntary terms under the MOD Early Release Scheme (2005) is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£ million) 
			 2005-06 41 
			 2006-07 48 
			 2007-08 52

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many  (a) armoured vehicles,  (b) aircraft,  (c) helicopters and  (d) weapons systems of each type have been removed from service as a result of battle damage in Iraq and Afghanistan;
	(2)  how many  (a) armoured vehicles,  (b) aircraft,  (c) helicopters and  (d) weapons systems have been made non-operable as a result of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Nuclear Weapons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken by the Government to assess the feasibility of implementing non-nuclear strategic defence options after the expiration of the viability of the UK's current nuclear deterrent.

Des Browne: holding answer 22 January 2008
	As the December 2006 White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994) made clear, the continuing risk from the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the certainty that a number of other countries will retain substantial nuclear arsenals, means that our minimum nuclear deterrent capability is likely to remain a necessary element of our security. We can only deter such threats in future through the continued possession of nuclear weapons. Conventional capabilities cannot have the same deterrent effect. On 14 March 2007, the House of Commons voted by a clear majority to support the Government's decision to sustain the UK's nuclear deterrent beyond the life of the Vanguard class submarines.

Spare Parts: Lost Property

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of spare parts lost in transit in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: Data are not held in such a way that enables the separate identification of "spare parts". Losses in transit have only been recorded separately since 2005. For financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07, the reported value of losses in transit was £4.8 million and £2.9 million respectively. As at 31 December 2007, the total value of losses recorded for financial year 2007-08 is £2.3 million.

Unidentified Flying Objects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 27 June 2007,  Official Report, column 801W, on unidentified flying objects, what the security classification of the report was; what its official title was; who commissioned the study; for what reason; and if he will place it in the Library.

Derek Twigg: The report was entitled 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region'. It was commissioned by the Scientific and Technical Directorate of the Ministry of Defence's Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) for the purpose of establishing whether anything of intelligence value could be determined from the sighting reports by members of the public that had been copied to the DIS. The full report was classified Secret UK Eyes Only. An expurgated version of the report is already available on the internet via the MOD's Freedom of Information Act website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/SearchPublicationScheme/UnidentifiedAerialPhenomenauapInTheUkAirDefenceRegion.htm

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on Common Agricultural Policy subsidies from the 10 largest landowners in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department receives a range of representations on Common Agricultural Policy subsidies but does not hold information on who the 10 largest landowners in the UK are.

Animal Welfare: Horses

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what measures the Government are taking to ban the long-distance transportation of live horses and ponies for slaughter in Europe; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if the Government will make representations to ensure the enforcement of Council Regulation No. 1/2005, on the protection of animals during transport, in all Member States; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 A ban on the export of horses and ponies for slaughter would be illegal under EU free trade rules. It has long been Government policy that we prefer the export of meat rather than live animal exports for slaughter. New animal welfare measures came into effect in January 2007 with the implementation of EC Regulation 1/2005 on the welfare of animals during transportation. The provisions include important horse welfare measures that the UK put forward and which were supported by horse welfare organisations.
	We are pleased to learn that it now seems likely the Commission will bring forward the planned review of the Regulation to 2009 instead of 2011 as originally intended. The Review will consider a number of issues arising from the implementation of the Regulation, including the need for robust enforcement of the animal welfare provisions in all member states.

Animals: Quarantine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals were in quarantine in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by species; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The provisional figures for 2007 are set out as follows. The final figures will be included in the next Chief Veterinary Officer's Annual Report, which will be published on the DEFRA website.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Cats 1,135 
			 Dogs 2,397 
			 Primate 1,637 
			 Tiger 7 
			 Cheetah 3 
			 Binturong 3 
			 Mongoose 7 
			 Rabbit 6 
			 Anteater 1 
			 Rat 1 
			 Leopard 4 
			 Ocelot 2 
			 Spectacled Bear 1 
			 Puma 2 
			 Bat 20 
			 Bear 5 
			 Bush Dog 1 
			 Jaguar 1 
			 Lion 6 
			 Coati 2 
			 Lynx 1 
			 Fossa 1 
			 Geoffroys Cat 1

Animals: Quarantine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what size of enclosure each type of animal entering the UK is kept in during quarantine; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not lay down rules specifically for the welfare of animals in quarantine. However, in consultation with premises owners and welfare organisations, we have produced a voluntary Code of Practice on the welfare of dogs and cats in quarantine premises (set out) which outlines recommended minimum internal measurements for individual accommodation units. Premises which comply with this code are awarded a star, and a list of starred premises is available on the DEFRA website quarantine pages. There are regular inspections of quarantine premises by Animal Health Officers (usually at least four times a year, with two visits being unannounced).
	i. For small dogs (less than 12 kilograms): sleeping area not less than 1.1 square metres, width and length not less than 0.9 m. Adjoining exercise area not less than 3.7 square metres, width not less than 0.9 metres.
	ii. For medium dogs (12 kilograms to 30 kilograms): sleeping area not less than 1.4 square metres, width and length not less than 1.2 metres. Adjoining exercise area not less than 5.5 square metres, width not less than 1.2 metres.
	iii. For large dogs (more than 30 kilograms): sleeping area not less than 1.4 square metres, width and length not less than 1.2 metres. Adjoining exercise area not less than 7.4 square metres, width not less than 1.2 metres.
	iv. For cats, the individual cat units should be of the walk in type not less than 1.8 metres high. The sleeping compartment plus exercise run must have a total floor area of at least 1.4 square metres, and both the length and width should be at least 0.9 metres. Cat units should contain ample shelf room for climbing and resting, preferably provided both inside and out. A suitable abrasive surface for nail trimming should be provided, such as a scratching post. In shared units, each cat should have its own bed.

Animals: Quarantine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration has been given to administering inoculations against rabies to animals in quarantine in the UK.

Jonathan R Shaw: All cats and dogs are required to be vaccinated against rabies within 48 hours of arrival in an approved quarantine premise. This vaccination is to protect the animal during quarantine and may not necessarily have any effect on animals already harbouring the disease at the time of arrival.

Avian Influenza: Hazardous Substances

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has received from the World Animal Health Organisation on the storage of the H5N1 virus between the taking of samples and testing.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 The samples for routine dead wild bird surveillance are collected according to standardised protocols, accredited to a United Kingdom Accreditation Service International Standards Organisation 17025 quality system. DEFRA employs the diagnostic expertise of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), Weybridge, which is the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) and European Union Reference Laboratory for avian influenza (AI). Our sampling, collection, storage and transportation methods are entirely consistent with international and EU standards. We continually revise and subject all aspects of our AI surveillance activities to peer review in light of new international evidence as it arises.
	The OIE produces a 'Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines' that contains recommendations for sample collection and transport. The VLA contribute to the production of such materials and also adhere to them.

Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what bluetongue movement restrictions have been relaxed following the declaration of a vector-free period for bluetongue; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The vector-free period is a time during the winter when evidence shows that midge activity is at its lowest and when there is no evidence of transmission of disease by midges. The vector-free period began on 20 December 2007. This means that movements to live out of the protection and surveillance zones can take place under strict conditions, including pre-movement testing. In addition, the strict timing conditions for movements to slaughter in the free area have been removed during the vector-free period. Further information can be found on the bluetongue pages of the DEFRA website.
	Based on historical data, this period may continue into March 2008, but will be kept under review in the light of midge activity and weather conditions.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how long it takes for the results of a pre-movement bovine tuberculosis test on an animal to be known; and for animals which are not reactors for how long after that test time they may be moved without a further test.

Jonathan R Shaw: The results of a TB skin test are read 72 hours/three days after the injection of tuberculin. Skin test results are provided to the farmer on the day the test results are read.
	All cattle over 42 days old moving out of a high risk herd must have tested negative to the tuberculin skin test to be eligible to move, unless the herd or movement is exempt. The injection of tuberculin (day one of the test) must have taken place no more than 60 days before the date of movement.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were tested for bovine tuberculosis in 2007; and of those how many reactors there were.

Jonathan R Shaw: Latest provisional statistics indicate that 5,367,901 cattle were tested for bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain between 1 January and 30 November 2007. Of these, 23,330 animals were identified as reactors.(1)
	(1) Provisional figures, subject to change as more data become available. Figures include both tuberculin and gamma interferon tests and subsequent reactors.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme: Cornwall

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects full payment to be made in respect of The Eastmoor Commoners Ltd. (Cornwall) single payment scheme entitlement for 2005 and 2006.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 17 January 2008
	The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has checked its records and is unable to identify The Eastmoor Commoners Ltd. (Cornwall). In order to state when full payment will be made RPA will require The Eastmoor Commoners Ltd. (Cornwall) Single Business Identifier (SBI) number.

Departmental Manpower

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants there are in each pay grade in each directorate within his Department; and what the equivalent figures were on  (a) 1 April 2004 and  (b) 1 October 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The number of staff (full-time equivalents) in each grade in each directorate in DEFRA as at 31 December 2007 is shown in the following table. Information for the earlier dates is not available.
	
		
			  Group  Directorate  AA  AO  EO  HEO  SEO  G7  G6  SCS  Total 
			 Climate Change Group Climate Change Group — — 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 — 2.00 9.00 
			  Domestic Climate Change and Energy — 19.00 28.00 47.30 21.83 33.57 7.00 6.00 162.70 
			  International Climate, Air and Analysis — 12.01 18.56 41.80 12.44 27.58 3.00 5.00 120.40 
			  Office of Climate Change — 2.00 3.00 13.00 3.00 17.00 5.89 5.00 48.89 
			  Sustainable Consumption and Production and Waste — 16.78 34.56 53.27 17.78 38.69 1.30 9.00 171.37 
			 Climate Change Group Total  — 49.79 85.11 157.37 57.06 118.84 17.19 27.00 512.36 
			
			 Finance, Planning and Resources Finance, Planning and Resources 1.00 17.06 28.00 31.00 31.80 18.00 6.00 4.00 136.86 
			
			 Food and Farming Group Cap Reform and Portfolio 4.00 33.49 28.50 51.18 10.83 30.47 5.69 8.00 172.16 
			  Delivery Change and Portfolio — 8.00 7.00 15.00 3.00 10.20 4.00 3.00 50.20 
			  Farming for the Future and Portfolio 2.18 9.00 15.60 24.47 10.80 15.01 2.00 4.00 83.06 
			  Food Chain and Portfolio 21.16 50.77 52.35 126.90 26.83 30.49 8.00 6.94 323.45 
			  International Trade and Portfolio 7.22 39.21 33.60 27.30 9.00 24.00 10.40 7.00 157.73 
			  Responsibility and Cost Sharing Portfolio 4.81 11.74 16.00 28.80 12.81 13.00 5.00 4.76 96.92 
			  Food and Farming Group Business Support Unit — 4.36 6.64 2.00 2.00 3.50 — 2.00 20.50 
			 Food and Farming Group Total  39.37 156.58 159.69 275.64 75.27 126.68 35.09 35.70 904.01 
			
			 Legal Group Legal Group Solicitor and Director General — — 1.00 — — — — 1.00 2.00 
			  Legal A Services — 3.00 — — — 19.04 25.42 7.00 54.47 
			  Legal B Services 2.00 11.64 7.00 2.00 2.00 11.21 17.64 5.75 59.23 
			 Legal Group Total  2.00 14.64 8.00 2.00 2.00 30.25 43.06 13.75 115.70 
			
			 Natural Environment Group Local Environment, Chemicals and Rural — 10.22 18.00 24.00 19.00 15.19 1.00 5.29 92.70 
			  Marine and Fisheries 2.00 7.00 16.00 32.00 10.57 16.52 1.00 5.00 90.09 
			  Natural Environment Group — 3.00 2.00 5.00 5.69 1.00 — 2.00 18.69 
			  Water 1.00 14.25 22.00 36.47 32.00 30.95 7.00 6.00 149.67 
			  Wildlife and Countryside 1.68 16.45 35.08 43.41 16.23 25.25 3.78 8.00 149.88 
			 Natural Environment Group Total  4.68 50.93 93.08 140.88 83.49 88.91 12.78 26.29 501.03 
			
			 Renew DEFRA Group Renewing DEFRA Programme — — 2.00 3.00 4.00 3.60 2.00 — 14.60 
			
			 Service Transformation Group Chief Information Officer 11.70 15.03 22.32 30.55 20.76 18.00 11.00 5.00 134.37 
			  Communications 2.00 13.39 32.02 44.43 17.49 9.94 8.80 3.00 131.07 
			  Customer Focus — 5.00 7.00 17.00 4.00 10.81 1.00 3.60 48.41 
			  Estates — 3.00 9.00 5.00 4.00 8.00 1.00 1.00 31.00 
			  People and Performance 28.00 38.75 24.29 39.50 30.78 31.00 10.86 13.22 216.41 
			  Shared Services 26.07 181.89 70.01 20.35 18.61 11.00 2.00 5.00 334.93 
			  STG Finance Team — 4.00 5.00 2.00 1.60 1.00 1.80 1.60 17.00 
			 Service Transformation Group Total  67.77 261.06 169.64 158.83 97.24 89.75 36.46 32.42 913.19 
			
			 Strategy and Evidence Group Central Analytical Directorate — — 2.00 5.00 1.00 5.00 2.00 2.00 17.00 
			  Science — 5.00 6.68 8.00 8.00 9.00 — 3.79 40.47 
			  Strategy and Evidence Group 1.00 2.67 5.00 3.72 1.00 — — 2.00 15.39 
			  Strategy and Sustainable Development — 13.00 23.00 49.36 11.67 27.21 4.00 7.65 135.88 
			 Strategy and Evidence Group Total  1.00 20.67 36.68 66.08 21.67 41.21 6.00 15.44 208.74 
			 DEFRA Total  115.81 570.71 582.20 834.80 372.53 517.24 158.59 154.60 3306.48

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Departmental Communications Directorate has procured the following DEFRA branded products:
	
		
			   Product  Number 
			 2005-06 Long sleeved T-shirts 50 
			
			 2006-07 Travel wallets 20,000 
			  Pens 20,000 
			  Travel toothbrush sets 1,000 
			
			 2007-08 Pens 10,000 
			  Travel wallets 7,000 
		
	
	Information about departmental or Government branded products procured by DEFRA agencies is not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Wastes: MRSA

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been conducted into the incident of MRSA bacteria within household rubbish.

Joan Ruddock: I am not aware of any such research having been conducted by my Department.
	People handling household waste should take the same hygiene measures they take every time they handle material which may harbour bacteria and wash their hands regularly.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what Government policy is on the measures outlined in Article 17 of Council Regulation 2371/2002 and the future of access of non-UK fishing vessels within the 12 nautical mile limit after 31 December 2012;
	(2)  whether the Commission has begun work on the report on the future of access to fishing waters and resources, as outlined in Article 17 of Council Regulation 2371/2002; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I will consider carefully the Government's policy with regards to access to waters and resources within 12 nautical miles as we prepare for the next reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP).
	I expect the rights the UK has under the current framework regulation (that is, to restrict fishing to vessels that traditionally used those waters and to pass laws to protect the stocks in our waters and manage UK vessels in the 0-12 mile zone) would be maintained beyond 31 December 2012.
	The Government have begun to plan objectives for the 2012 review of the CFP as set in the draft implementation plan for Fisheries 2027 (published in October 2007), but UK policy on this has not yet been formulated.
	I am not aware how far the Commission have progressed with their report regarding the future of access to fishing waters and resources. According to Article 17 of Council Regulation 2371/2002, the deadline for the report is 31 December 2011, but I will press for adequate discussion in the run up to the CFP reform.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the European Commission has informed him of the need to reduce the capacity of the UK fishing fleet, as specified in Article 16(2) of Council Regulation 2371/2002; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The European Commission has not informed DEFRA of the need to reduce the capacity of the UK fishing fleet as specified in Article 16(2) of Council Regulation (EC) 2371/2002.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, with regard to Article 11 of Council Regulation 2371/2002,  (a) the Government and  (b) the European Commission have considered whether there needs to be an adjustment of fishing capacity for UK vessels over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The measures in Article 11 of Council Regulation (EC) 2371/2002 establish reference ceilings for the capacity of the fishing fleet in terms of total tonnage and engine power of the fleet, while those in later articles, including Article 16(2), set out measures related to the control of fleet entries and exits. The UK is compliant with the provisions of these articles and hence there is no need for further consideration by the UK Government or European Commission of the need for adjustment of fleet capacity related to these measures.

Fishing Catches

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 707-08W, on fishing catches, 
	(1)  for what reasons the discard data under Council Regulation 1543/2000 have not been systematically compiled; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to ensure that discard data under Council Regulation 1543/2000 are systematically compiled; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what action is being taken by the Commission in relation to EU Member States which have not complied with their obligations under Council Regulation 1543/2000; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Commission monitors the degree to which member states comply with their obligations to collect data under Council Regulation 1543/2000, through a requirement to submit annual technical reports on the work carried out. These reports include a section where member states report on the scientific working groups to which they have provided data. The Commission compares this with reports from these working groups on the data received, to assess the level to which each member state has complied with their obligations.
	Proposed changes to the regulation have been discussed. The UK has underlined the key aim of ensuring that the needs for information of such groups charged with providing advice to the Commission and member states are met. The Commission has taken this on board in the proposed changes to the regulation, formalising the requirement to provide information to scientific working groups within the regulation and proposing penalty measures to be applied to the level of funding granted to member states that do not comply with these obligations.
	The UK will be supporting the Commission's intentions to ensure that data from all member states are accurate, timely and fit for purpose.

Fishing Vessels

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 997-98W, on fishing vessels, what plans he has to extend the deployment of observer schemes in 2008;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library details of specific numbers of on-board observer schemes deployed in 2007;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the on-board observer scheme deployed in 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: At the December Fisheries Council, a number of additional optional observer schemes were agreed as part of the effort and quota management package. We will be assessing the viability of these schemes for the UK and will continue to discuss these with the industry to consider the level of interest there is in participation.
	Observers from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) have already accompanied two trips by industry vessels this year as part of the fisheries science partnership and it is expected that more of these trips will take place during 2008.
	I have asked officials to gather details of the numbers of observer schemes in which the UK participated during 2007. I will write to the hon. Member when these are available and arrange for a copy of my letter to be deposited in the Libraries of the House.
	DEFRA officials are involved in ongoing discussions with the industry and other Government Departments, to draw conclusions from the observer schemes deployed in 2007. The results of these discussions will be deposited in the Libraries of the House later this year.

Horses: Exports

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures the Government are taking to stop the export of live horses and ponies from the UK to continental Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 Horse and pony exports include horses and ponies being exported for breeding, racing, and other equestrian events and companion horses and ponies being taken abroad by families relocating as well as animals being exported for slaughter. We are therefore not proposing to ban the export of horses and ponies. Furthermore, a unilateral ban on live exports would be illegal under EU free trade law.

Horses: Transport

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the live transportation of horses across Europe before slaughter; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 Officials have held recent discussions with the International League for the Protection of Horses on the operation of the new welfare in transport rules contained in Regulation 1/2005; with a view to identifying whether any further welfare measures might be needed to protect the welfare of horses during transport across Europe when the Regulation comes up for review. We have also received representations in the form of letters, emails and questions from hon. Members.

Lighting: Waste Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice his Department provides to the public on the disposal of spent long-life light bulbs; and what regulatory requirements apply to such disposals.

Joan Ruddock: Low-energy light bulbs should be disposed of responsibly and advice on their safe disposal has been made available on DEFRA's public website.
	From 1 July 2007, waste compact fluorescent light bulbs (the most common type of energy efficient bulbs) have been subject to the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. Those who sell items such as energy efficient bulbs must provide information to the public about where they can take waste bulbs and other WEEE. Some retailers will also take them back in store. However, most retailers have funded designated collection facilities—the majority of these are at local authority civic amenity sites. From this point, producers of such equipment fund its transport, treatment and recycling.

National Fruit Collection

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what consultation was undertaken by his Department on the criteria to be used to assess best value when considering tenders to provide long-term relocation of the fruit collection at Brogdale;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to protect the long-term continuation of the fruit collections at Brogdale; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those steps; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 January 2008
	The National Fruit Collection is currently maintained by the Brogdale Horticultural Trust and scientifically curated by Imperial College.
	In response to an open competition, which allowed DEFRA to look at all the available options for the future of the collections, tenders were received and assessed by expert peer reviewers and an internal selection panel. The selection process also included visits to all prospective sites and presentations from the applicants. The selection process was carried out in line with the guidelines set out in DEFRA's Science Handbook.
	Any potential relocation of the collection was considered to be a relatively low risk procedure as there are a number of suitable locations in the UK for growing fruit trees. The whole collection was moved successfully from Wisley to Brogdale in the 1950s, and fruit trees are regularly re-propagated as a matter of course.
	On 19 December 2007, DEFRA announced the Collections would remain at Brogdale for the foreseeable future. From 1 April 2008, the maintenance and curation of the collection will be managed by the University of Reading, subject to agreement with the landlord to extend the lease at Brogdale.

Nature Conservation: Oil

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of protection for wildlife in the Moray Firth against oil spillages from ships.

Jonathan R Shaw: The relevant nature conservation regulations are the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No.2716) (as amended) as they apply to merchant shipping operations. Under these provisions, the Moray Firth is designated a special area of conservation and formal assessment of whether plans or projects will adversely affect the integrity of relevant nature conservation sites must take place, where there is likely to be a significant effect on such sites.
	Regulation of merchant shipping is dealt with under Merchant Shipping legislation. Ports where oil is handled have their own oil spill contingency plans, compliant with the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998, (SI 1998 No.1056). Additionally, all of our seas and coasts are protected by the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations.

Roads: Litter

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was to local authorities in England of  (a) collecting and  (b) disposing of road sweepings in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: My Department does not hold specific data relating to the cost of the collection or disposal of road sweepings.
	Local authorities are required to make revenue outturn returns to the Department for Communities and Local Government. This includes their expenditure and income on street cleansing (not chargeable to the Highways Department). In 2006-07, the net total cost of street cleansing to local authorities in England was £667 million. These figures are not available broken down into collection and disposal costs.

Spatial Information Repository

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the purpose is of his Department's Spatial Information Repository; and which datasets it will hold.

Jonathan R Shaw: The purpose of the Shared Spatial Information Service (SPIRE) is to provide a managed data service which supports the delivery of services and policy making by providing access to both up to date geographic information layers which meet agreed data standards, as well as common background data against which other geographic information can be viewed.
	SPIRE currently contains approximately 350 business specific layers relating to the strategic outcomes of DEFRA, spanning land and marine environments. These layers include information gathered by the Department, its agencies and non departmental public bodies, Government Departments and non governmental organisations.
	SPIRE also holds and manages Ordnance Survey mapping, aerial photography and marine mapping layers as contextual information.
	SPIRE has the capacity to deliver data for the management of disease emergencies. This service has been used operationally by members of the DEFRA Network including the Animal Health agency, the Central Science Laboratory, Pesticide Safety Directorate and the RADAR veterinary surveillance team.

Wind Power: Noise

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to measure the low level sounds produced by wind turbines.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 January 2008
	In 2004, the then Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) (now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform—DBERR) commissioned Hayes McKenzie to report on claims that infrasound or low frequency noise emitted by wind turbine generators were causing health effects. Hayes McKenzie reported to the then DTI in May 2006 that there was no evidence of health effects arising from infrasound or low frequency noise generated by wind farms. The report recommended further work on the specific issue of Aerodynamic Modulation (AM).
	A Government-funded research study, entitled 'Research into Aerodynamic Modulation (AM) of Wind Turbine Noise', undertaken by Salford University, reported in 2007 that although the incidence of AM could not be fully predicted, the incidence of AM and the number of people affected was probably too small to make a compelling case for further research:
	"Considering the need for further research, the incidence of AM and the number of people affected is probably too small at present to make a compelling case for further research funding in preference to other types of noise which affect many more people. On the other hand, since AM cannot be fully predicted at present, and its causes are not fully understood we consider that it might be prudent to carry out further research to improve understanding in this area."
	On consideration of the Salford report the Government decided that there was not at present a compelling case for further work into AM, and that it would not carry out further research, but it would continue to keep the issue under review.
	Further information is available on the website of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Women's Land Army: Medals

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the forms to be available to enable former members of the Women's Land Army and Women's Timber Corps to apply for their badge of recognition.

Jonathan R Shaw: The application form will be available before the end of January.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Political Levy

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes were made to the regulation of political funds of Northern Ireland trades unions, during periods of direct rule from Westminster, since the Trade Union and Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 came into force.

Shaun Woodward: The Secretary of State ceased to be in charge of the Northern Ireland departments on 8 May 2007 when devolution was restored and the Northern Ireland Executive took over responsibility. Papers relating to the Trade Union and Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 which provides for the regulation of political funds of trade unions in Northern Ireland are kept by the Department of Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DEL).
	DEL has advised me that Part V of the 1995 Order has been changed a number of times during periods of direct rule by the following enactments: the Employment Rights (Disputes Resolution) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.1.1998/1265 (N.I.8)); the Employment Relations Order (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.1.1999/2790 (N.I.9)); and the Employment Relations Order (Northern Ireland) 2004 (S.I.2004/3078 (N.I.19)).

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Christmas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether it is his Department's policy to use  (a) incandescent light bulbs and  (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises.

David Lammy: The Department uses incandescent lights for its festive decorations. However, we shall be reviewing our policy for next year.

Christmas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's policy is on the selection of  (a) real and  (b) artificial Christmas trees for his Department's festive decorations; and how real trees are disposed of.

David Lammy: The Department is split across sites and has four Christmas Trees on its Estate. Two of these trees are real and are recycled by our foliage company. One of the artificial trees is reused each year. The other artificial tree is hired from our foliage company and returned to them at the end of the hire period.

Climate Change

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) intends to take by (i) 2012 and (ii) 2020 in relation to adaptation to the effects of climate change as they affect his departmental responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: holding answer 6 December 2007
	The steps the Department has taken and intends to take are set out in the Sustainable Development Action Plan (SDAP), 'Learning for the Future', covering 2006-08. We recently submitted a progress report on this to the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), the Government's independent watch dog on sustainable development.
	SDC will shortly be publishing their analysis of the progress of Government Departments.
	We are currently working on the content of a new SDAP that will cover 2008-10. This will incorporate the Government's overall intentions as laid out in the recent Climate Change Bill and the cross-Government Adaptation Policy Framework to be published in the spring.
	Subsequent SDAPs are likely to continue to reflect the work of the Department in addressing the effects of climate change on children, schools and families.

Departmental Coordination

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people in his Department are responsible for liaising with the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

David Lammy: Following the machinery of government changes last year, three separate Departments were established with clear demarcation of responsibility. However, we have sought to maintain effective communication links across the three new Departments to minimise disruption to our customers. A range of officials in DIUS are in regular discussion with the Department for Children, Schools and Families across a number of issues, covering both policy and the provision of corporate services. The issues being discussed and number of people involved varies.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many letters his Department and its predecessors received from hon. Members and Peers in each session of Parliament since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. Information relating to 2007 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2006 was published on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 101-04WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the House Library.

Overseas Students: Employment

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department takes to check the employment status of foreign nationals in the United Kingdom to study.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	Foreign nationals with permission to study in the United Kingdom may work up to 20 hours per week during term time or full-time during vacations without the need to seek permission from their local Jobcentre Plus office or to obtain a work permit. It is the responsibility of an employer to establish that a foreign national is entitled to take employment in the UK. The Border and Immigration Agency has provided a helpline for employers to check the status of foreign nationals who seek to work in the United Kingdom.

Union Learning Fund

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the evaluation of the Union Learning Fund, 2001 to 2005, undertaken on behalf of the former Department for Education and Skills by York Consulting Ltd.

David Lammy: The main recommendations of the evaluation of the Union Learning Fund (2001-05) concern improving the level of management information provided by participating trade unions, particularly on learner referrals and outcomes; improving the level of support provided to help Union Learning Representatives (ULRs); and engaging strategically with employers to help ensure the long term sustainability of union learning activity initiated by the Union Learning Fund (ULF).
	Officials from my Department have been working with unionlearn the TUC's new learning organisation to address these issues. Work has been done to improve the management information systems of ULF projects which will capture more information on the numbers taking Skills for Life, Level 2 and Level 3 courses. Additional support systems have been put in place at national, regional and local level to help Union Learning Representatives to carry out their duties more effectively. A new electronic tool, the "Climbing Frame" has been developed which is designed to help ULRs support learners to progress through different levels of study and a new "Quality Award" for learning providers that helps ULRs to identify accessible high quality provision for learners.
	These strengthened support systems for ULRs will help to secure the future sustainability of union learning initiatives and underpin the work that unionlearn is doing to help those trade unions involved in ULF to develop effective strategic partnership working with employers. Over 200 learning agreements were established last year between unions and employers involved in ULF, helping to embed successful projects into long-term planning.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Education Maintenance Allowance: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in Barnet have  (a) applied for,  (b) enrolled for and  (c) received an education maintenance allowance during the 2007-08 academic year; what assessment he has made of the effect of education maintenance allowances on staying-on rates in education in Barnet; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The LSC operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	We do not collect information on the impact of EMA specific to Barnet, however EMA was subject to a thorough evaluation during its pilot stage. The results indicated an increase in participation by 16-year-olds of 3.8 per cent. points nationally and 4.1 per cent. points nationally for 17-year-olds.
	In addition a further analysis of the impact of EMA on participation and attainment was commissioned by the LSC and a copy of the results, with a summary of the key findings, was placed in the House Library on 3 December 2007.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 23 January 2008:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked; "How many students in Barnet have (a) applied for, (b) enrolled on a course to be supported by and (c) received an education maintenance allowance during the current academic year; what assessment he has made of the effect of education maintenance allowances on staying on rates in education in Barnet."
	EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	The following table shows EMA applicants, enrolments and take-up for Barnet Local Authority Area:
	
		
			  Barnet  2007-08 
			   Number 
			 Applications received 3,172 
			 Enrolled applicants 2,719 
			 Scheme take-up 2,628 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website, at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm

Sure Start Programme

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) children and  (b) families (i) who are black and minority ethnic, (ii) with English as an additional language, (iii) with special needs and disabilities and (iv) with a lone parent (A) have been provided with information on and (B) are accessing Sure Start programmes and services; what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of those programmes and services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the capacity of provision for child care through Sure Start programmes was in each of the last five years; how many and what proportion of  (a) families and  (b) children (i) received information on and (ii) accessed this provision over this period; what average proportion of capacity was used over that period; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: All Sure Start Children's Centres provide information and advice to parents and carers on a range of subjects including local child care and education services for three and four-year-olds. Centres serving the most disadvantaged communities in England must provide integrated early learning and full daycare as part of their core services while centres serving less disadvantaged communities may provide integrated early learning and daycare places where local demand is not being met by existing, good quality providers. The information requested about different groups of families receiving information and taking up services, including integrated early learning and daycare, is not collected centrally by my Department. Data on the capacity of provision for child care through Sure Start programmes in the last five years are not collected centrally.
	The ongoing National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) produced initial findings on the impact of the early Sure Start Local Programmes in November 2005. These gave a very early indication that Sure Start is succeeding in making a difference to a large number of parents and children and is doing particularly well in affecting parenting practices. Because we know that some Sure Start Children's Centres have more work to do to reach the most disadvantaged families from April this year we have committed additional resources which will enable local authorities to fund two more outreach workers in centres serving the most disadvantaged communities.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Aerials

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate has been made of the additional number of mobile phone masts required to meet future demand of further generations of mobile telecommunications equipment.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government encourage mast and site sharing wherever possible, and network operators have an obligation under current planning procedures to demonstrate that they have considered all mast and site sharing options. Future sharing of network infrastructure would reduce the rate of growth of base station sites.
	There is no current estimate of the number of additional mobile phone masts required to meet future demand of further generations of mobile telecommunications equipment. This is due to the fast moving nature of the telecommunications industry.
	The actual number of base stations required in the future will depend on growth of demand and the availability of spectrum as well as the choice of technology available to meet that demand.

Business: Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his most recent estimate is of the cost of regulation to UK industry.

Patrick McFadden: In 2005 Government undertook an exercise to measure, for the first time in the UK, the administrative burdens of regulations on businesses and the third sector. The administrative burden as of May 2005 was £13.4 billion. More information can be found at:
	http://bre.berr.gov.uk/regulation/reform/simplifying/plans.asp
	Information on the total costs of regulations (not just administrative burdens) to UK industry is not currently held centrally and there is no established methodology for measuring these on a consistent basis.

Business: Wiltshire

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) public and  (b) private/public sector partnership support is available to small and medium-sized enterprises in South Wiltshire.

Stephen Timms: The publicly funded Business Link service provides information and advice to small and medium enterprises, and where appropriate brokers clients on to public and private sector providers of business support.
	Northern Arc Ltd. is contracted by the South West Regional Development Agency to provide the Business Link service in South Wiltshire. Northern Arc Ltd. maintains a local presence in the area by running business start-up clinics from their office in Salisbury College. Further information on the Business Link service can be found at www.businesslink.gov.uk/southwest or by telephoning 0845 600 9966.
	In addition to this, the South Wiltshire Economic Partnership (SWEP), is a partnership between the district and county councils, local businesses and business organisations. It works in partnership with others to drive forward the growth of the south Wiltshire economy by supporting existing businesses and other organisations and by attracting inward investment. By providing the local business community with a single voice on economic development issues, SWEP also works to influence all levels of government and to provide a focus for the delivery of strategic change. SWEP is administered by Salisbury district council economic development team. More information on the partnership and its activities can be found at:
	www.salisbury.gov.uk/swep
	Businesses can sign up to receive news on the partnership, strategic projects in the district and events by e-mailing: swep@salisbury gov.uk

Post Offices

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what Government support and advice is available to community groups who wish to operate their local post office as a community business.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 17 January 2008
	 Information and support on operating a local post office is available on the Post Office Ltd. website at www.ukpo.com/subpostmaster. In addition, sub-postmasters and community groups are free to seek advice from their local Business Link or RDA about any ongoing retail operations. This would be a matter for the individual retail outlet. Retailers can contact their local Business Link via the national helpline on: 0845 600 9006 or visit their website at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk.

Post Offices: Closures

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what research he has undertaken into the likely effects of the proposed post office closures on rural and semi-rural areas.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 It is Government policy, announced in May 2007 in response to the national public consultation on the post office network, to ensure national coverage and reasonable access to post office services with particular regard to vulnerable consumers and to rural and remote areas. Access criteria have been introduced to achieve this and in developing its closure proposals Post Office Ltd. has also to take into account a range of factors relating to accessibility of service provision and the local impact of changes to it. Under area plan proposals published so far, on average 90.7 per cent. of the population covered will see no change in the branch they currently use and 99.3 per cent. will see either no change or still be within one mile of their nearest post office.

Post Offices: Closures

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post offices have closed under the Network Change Programme.

Patrick McFadden: The Government strategy for the post office network includes provision for 2,500 compensated closures and 500 new outreach services.
	Post Office Ltd. is responsible for implementing the network change programme at a local level. It is developing a rolling programme of some 50 local consultations on detailed area plans, based on groups of parliamentary constituencies. Following final decisions on the proposals for the first area plans after local consultations, individual post office closures are now taking place. Area plan consultations are ongoing and will continue well into 2008.

Post Offices: Reorganisation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received on his proposals to restructure the post office network; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has received a range of representations for Members of Parliament, local authorities and other correspondents about the restructuring of the post office network, both in general terms and in the context of specific proposals included in Post Office Ltd.'s area plans. To 18 January, 14 area plans have been published and put to local consultation, consultations on 11 plans have closed and final decisions announced on six plans. In response to comments received during the public consultation period, closure proposals for 15 individual offices have so far been withdrawn.

Public Holidays

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent consideration his Department has given to the introduction of new bank holidays.

Patrick McFadden: The Department receives representations on this issue from time to time. However the present pattern of bank holidays in the UK is well established and accepted, and the Government have no current plans to change the arrangements.

Union Modernisation Fund: Audit

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what procedures are in place to monitor and audit the public monies remitted to trades unions under the auspices of the Union Modernisation Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 In line with normal arrangements for Government funding, all UMF projects are regularly monitored for progress and expenditure to ensure accountability and the protection of public funds. All projects are required to allow site visits by BERR officials. Failure to comply with such monitoring activity may result in sanctions, including withholding or reclaiming of funds.
	On completion, each project is required to produce an independent accountant's report. The report accompanies the final claim and confirms that the union has expended the sums in respect of which all claims have been made.
	In addition, BERR is working with Leeds University Business School to conduct a phased evaluation of the fund. Phase one evaluated the operational effectiveness of the first round of bidding. Phase two will evaluate the success of supported projects and the impact of monies via a series of case studies. An interim phase two evaluation report was published in December 2007.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council of England: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many regularly-funded organisations will be supported by Arts Council England in 2008-09.

James Purnell: holding answer 17 January 2008
	I announced in October last year that grant in aid for Arts Council England would rise to £467 million by 2010-11—an increase of £50 million over current levels.
	The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them.
	Arts Council England will make a full announcement at the beginning of February when final decisions have been taken.

Arts Council of England: Grants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what changes Arts Council England plans to make to funding criteria and allocation mechanisms; what changes it has made in the last 24 months; and what  (a) internal guidance and  (b) external guidance has been amended accordingly.

James Purnell: holding answer 16 January 2008
	The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them. Their fundamental criteria are set out in their Royal Charter
	"to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts [and] to increase accessibility of the arts to the public in England."

Arts Council of England: Grants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which local organisations in each region received funding from Arts Council England in each of the last three years; how much funding was received in each case; and how much each such organisation is expected to receive from Arts Council England in 2008-09.

James Purnell: holding answer 16 January 2008
	I announced in October last year that grant in aid for Arts Council England would rise to £467 million by 2010-11—an increase of £50 million over current levels.
	A list of organisations which received Arts Council funding between 2005-06 to 2007-08 will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them. They have said the following in response to requests to see the detail of the organisations listed in their proposals for 2008-09:
	"Our proposals for non-renewal of funding cannot be made available until our National and Regional Councils make final decisions. This information is considered confidential and commercially sensitive during the response period. This is especially so in the case of a recommendation that might be overturned by the National Council or a Regional Council. Regularly funded organisations who have a right to respond to our recommendation, should be able to do so freely without fear that our intention to reduce or stop their funding is potentially unnecessarily, and without their consent, released into the public domain. A full announcement will be made at the beginning of February".

Departmental Land

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what stage has been reached in his Department's plans to sell the area of land located to the north of the British Library; what recent estimate of the value of the site has been made; and whether the Department will receive a proportion of the proceeds of any such sale.

James Purnell: holding answer 22 January 2008
	The sale of the land is proceeding: each party has now agreed the 'heads of terms' and the contract should be finalised by the end of February.
	The department's agents valued the site prior to the sale at £45 million but with an expectation of higher bids following the marketing campaign and the completion of St. Pancras station.
	In line with Treasury budgeting guidance, DCMS may indeed retain a proportion of the proceeds. The sale also enables the Department to meet almost the entire sum represented by its target for asset sales over 2008-11.

Internet: Children

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government has taken to make the internet safer for child users.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The Government take internet safety extremely seriously, particularly in relation to children.
	In September 2007, the Prime Minister announced a review into the risk to children of exposure to harmful or inappropriate content in video games and online. The review will also assess the effectiveness and adequacy of existing measures to help prevent children from being exposed to such material and help parents understand and manage the risks of access to inappropriate content.
	Dr. Tanya Byron is conducting this review and will report to Ministers in March 2008.
	Other activity in this area includes the following:
	(a) The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which operates an internet hotline for people to notify them of child abuse images online. Internet service providers are liable to prosecution if they do not remove sites notified to them by the IWF.
	(b) The Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, which was set up in 2001 and has published:
	Good Practice Guidance for Search Providers and Advice to the Public on How to Search Safely.
	Good Practice Models and Guidance for the Internet Industry on—Chat Services, Instant Messaging and Web Based Services.
	Good Practice Guidance for the Providers of Social Networking and Other User Interactive Services.
	(c) Cyberbullying guidance, which was launched in September 2007 by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, provides practical help and guidance for parents and pupils on how to deal with any cyberbullying incidents.
	(d) The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) which was set up in 2006, combines its enforcement powers with the business sector, Government and other interested organisations all focused on tackling child sex abuse policy. CEOP had some notable successes last year in bringing prosecutions.
	(e) The EU Safer Internet Plus Programme promotes a safer use of online technologies particularly by children, and supports those fighting illegal and harmful content ranging from child abuse images to racism. IWF and CEOP receive funding from this programme.
	(f) Many internet service providers and mobile companies work in partnership with Government in providing parents and children with practical help and advice on their websites.

Theatre: Grants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many regularly-funded theatre-based producing companies in the regions will be supported by Arts Council England in 2008-09.

James Purnell: holding answer 17 January 2008
	The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them.
	Arts Council England will make a full announcement at the beginning of February when final decisions have been taken.

Tourism: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average expenditure per head by overseas tourists visiting London in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the average expenditure per visit by overseas tourists to London for the latest years for which data are available.
	
		
			  Average expenditure per visit 
			   London (£, current prices) 
			 2002 499 
			 2003 502 
			 2004 481 
			 2005 494 
			 2006 502 
			  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS). 
		
	
	The figures exclude expenditure relating to fares for travel to and from the UK, and include expenditure by same day transit visitors.

Tourism: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) overseas and  (b) UK tourists who visited London in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The tables show (i) the number of overseas visits and (ii) the number of overnight trips by UK residents to London for the latest years for which data are available.
	
		
			  Overseas visits 
			   London ( m illion) 
			 2002 11.6 
			 2003 11.7 
			 2004 13.4 
			 2005 13.9 
			 2006 15.6 
			  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Domestic overnight trips by UK residents( 1) 
			   London ( m illion) 
			 2002 16.1 
			 2003 14.3 
			 2004 12.8 
			 2005 10.7 
			 2006 11.0 
			 (1) The methodology for the UKTS changed in 2005 meaning that comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution. This change occurred as a result of concerns with the quality of 2004 data, which are thought to be an under-representation of the true position.  Source: UK Tourism Survey (National Tourist Boards). 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide a time series for the number of day visits by UK residents to London as the survey is run intermittently.

TRANSPORT

Bicycles: Accidents

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) cyclists and  (b) motorcyclists have suffered (i) non-fatal casualties and (ii) death on (A) urban and (B) rural roads in Great Britain in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is given in the table:
	
		
			  Number of fatal and non-fatal casualties in reported personal injury road accidents by urban/rural roads and road user type GB: 1997-2006 
			  Number of casualties 
			   Urban  Rural 
			   Pedal cyclist  Motorcyclists  Pedal cyclist  Motorcyclists 
			   Fatal  Non fatal  Fatal  Non fatal  Fatal  Non fatal  Fatal  Non fatal 
			 1997 95 20,206 164 15,814 88 4,222 344 8,129 
			 1998 81 18,854 151 16,058 77 3,862 345 8,004 
			 1999 83 18,722 178 17,039 88 3,811 360 8,492 
			 2000 67 17,071 177 18,822 59 3,318 421 8,649 
			 2001 69 15,737 186 19,481 67 3,149 394 8,606 
			 2002 63 14,110 222 18,893 64 2,824 387 8,802 
			 2003 60 14,091 213 18,502 54 2,810 480 9,194 
			 2004 73 13,821 185 17,037 61 2,676 399 7,999 
			 2005 73 13,751 179 16,284 75 2,657 390 7,961 
			 2006 87 13,424 176 15,240 59 2,626 423 7,485 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of casualties 
			   All( 1) 
			   Pedal Cyclist  Motorcyclists 
			   Fatal  Non fatal  Fatal  Non fatal 
			 1997 183 24,453 509 23,983 
			 1998 158 22,765 498 24,112 
			 1999 172 22,668 547 25,645 
			 2000 127 20,485 605 27,607 
			 2001 138 18,976 583 28,227 
			 2002 130 16,977 609 27,744 
			 2003 114 16,919 693 27,718 
			 2004 134 16,514 585 25,056 
			 2005 148 16,413 569 24,255 
			 2006 146 16,050 599 22,727 
			 (1 )Includes roads with unallocated urban/rural marker

Bull Bars: Regulation

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will seek to amend EU regulations on the fixing of metal bull bars to new vehicles to cover vehicles which had such bars fitted when the present regulations entered into force.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have no plan for retrospective regulation in this area.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in her Department and its agencies received bonuses in each year since 2002.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All civil service Departments are encouraged to develop non-consolidated bonus payments to recognise performance, in accordance with the civil service reward principles agreed by the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested for the years prior to 2005-06 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Detailed records for the number of civil servants who received staff bonuses during the period stated only exist for the following years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 12,622 
			 2006-07 12,241 
		
	
	The 2006-07 figures do not include figures from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) as they have yet to complete payments to staff.

Departmental Recycling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's policy is on recycling.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Due to the dispersed nature of the Department for Transport estate an overarching recycling policy approach has not been adopted. Instead, the Department looks to utilise the available schemes in each of the areas in which it has sites. The Department, including its agencies, has embedded recycling and waste reduction into sustainable development action plans and environmental management systems, where applicable, with the aim of achieving the recognised sustainability on the government estate waste targets.
	For the scale of the recycling schemes currently utilised by the Department for Transport I refer the hon. Member to my response on 15 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1086-88W. Additionally, I refer the hon. Member to my earlier answer given on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1172W, which showed the volumes and percentage of recycling undertaken by the Department for Transport.

Driving Standards Agency: Rural Areas

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department carried out impact assessments before the introduction of multi-purpose test centres in rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A draft Regulatory Impact Assessment was published as part of the consultation entitled Delivering the new motorcycle test in December 2002. This was revised in the light of responses to that consultation. The amended Impact Assessment was published in the Response to Consultation report in March 2004.

Driving Standards Agency: Training

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Driving Standards Agency's professional development training will be outsourced; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driving Standards Agency is currently working with representative bodies and other stakeholders on the development of a Continuing Professional Development initiative for approved driving instructors which would inform a future consultation paper. No decisions have been made as to the development of the delivery.

Driving: Age

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of whether to change the age at which an individual can start driving.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer to the answer given on 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1088W to the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight).

Government Mail

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deliveries were lost by Government mail in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 19 November 2007,  Official Report, column 460W given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban).

Roads: Death

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at which times of day incidents causing the deaths of drivers aged between 17 and 25 years occurred in each of the last 10 years, broken down by hourly interval.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of reported personal injury road accidents resulting in 17 to 25-year-old car driver fatalities by hour of accident for Great Britain from 1997 to 2006 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of fatal accidents 
			  Hour of accident  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 00:00 24 18 17 15 20 25 26 24 24 21 
			 01:00 10 24 24 19 13 17 12 24 22 24 
			 02:00 23 10 11 11 21 13 17 19 14 17 
			 03:00 12 12 10 11 15 11 23 12 10 17 
			 04:00 10 2 9 9 7 9 8 13 9 12 
			 05:00 9 5 2 13 6 9 6 15 8 10 
			 06:00 12 10 4 9 6 10 16 9 14 8 
			 07:00 18 11 11 13 16 17 7 12 15 11 
			 08:00 17 19 12 12 14 18 15 18 17 17 
			 09:00 9 12 6 7 7 7 9 8 3 10 
			 10:00 10 13 10 10 5 9 12 4 6 11 
			 11:00 11 5 3 9 5 9 5 9 4 9 
			 12:00 11 9 5 7 9 9 13 8 15 11 
			 13:00 16 12 11 13 7 13 7 9 7 6 
			 14:00 4 9 14 7 9 10 16 3 10 17 
			 15:00 14 10 7 6 8 10 15 5 8 13 
			 16:00 10 12 14 10 13 8 15 10 15 18 
			 17:00 16 14 11 12 13 18 16 17 11 21 
			 18:00 22 28 13 13 16 13 25 20 22 20 
			 19:00 15 15 14 11 26 15 18 16 22 19 
			 20:00 22 22 20 23 23 18 13 23 26 22 
			 21:00 26 14 19 26 18 29 19 22 25 23 
			 22:00 25 26 21 17 31 26 26 26 32 20 
			 23:00 28 18 22 29 24 23 20 32 21 31 
			 Total 374 330 290 312 332 346 359 358 360 388

Roads: Death

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many road traffic accidents in which a driver aged between 17 and 25-years-old died there were  (a) no passengers,  (b) passengers aged between 17 and 25 and  (c) passengers aged over 25 in the vehicle in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents involving 17 to 25-year-old car driver fatalities with  (a) no passenger casualties,  (b) at least one 17 to 25-year-old passenger casualty and  (c) at least one passenger casualty aged over 25 are given in the table.
	
		
			   No passenger casualties  At least one 17 to 25-year-old passenger casualty  At least one passenger casualty aged over 25 
			 1997 227 120 23 
			 1998 198 109 18 
			 1999 172 89 20 
			 2000 193 96 23 
			 2001 200 108 14 
			 2002 209 120 16 
			 2003 220 108 21 
			 2004 232 97 18 
			 2005 218 114 16 
			 2006 223 135 21 
		
	
	Data are shown for passenger casualties as information on uninjured passengers is not collected. Accidents may be included in both columns  (b) and  (c) as a vehicle may have a 17 to 25-year-old passenger casualty as well as a passenger casualty aged over 25.

Safety Belts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what files are held by her Department on  (a) the Road Traffic (Seat Belts) Bill of Sessions (i) 1978-79 and (ii) 1979-80 and  (b) the Safety of Children in Cars Bill of sessions (A) 1978-79, (B) 1979-80 and (C) 1980-81; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's records for the periods in question do not show files specifically relating to these Bills. Many files from that period have now been destroyed or transferred to The National Archive.

Speed Limits: Driving Offences

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that every person referred to a speed awareness course in Lancashire undertakes the course.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is not responsible for ensuring the attendance of offenders at speed awareness courses. Courses are offered at the discretion of the Police, as an alternative to prosecution, to speeding offenders for whom they feel it is the most productive option. Should an offender agree to attend a course but fail to do so, the offer of a course is withdrawn and the offence reverts to a prosecution.

Vehicle Registration: Fines

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fines the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has issued relating to the lack of notification of change of vehicle ownership in the last two years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of penalties issued by the Agency in respect of a failure to notify a change of vehicle ownership is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2005-06 52,640 
			 2006-07 42,078

Vehicle Registration: Fines

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many appeals against fines imposed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for non-notification of change of vehicle ownership have been made in the last two years; how many of these were successful; on what grounds such cases were successful; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Agency does not hold statistics to advise the total number of appeals received in cases which involve non-notification of change of vehicle ownership. These details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of non-notification of change cases closed following further investigation is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Compassionate grounds 388 423 
			 Data discrepancy 3,062 2,603 
			 No offence 11,467 8,652

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Coastal Areas

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in establishing a cross-departmental working group to examine coastal towns.

John Healey: The inaugural meeting of the cross-departmental working group on coastal towns, convened by officials from this Department, will be held on 6 February 2008.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of freedom of information requests received by her Department have given rise to responses that have been published by her Department.

Parmjit Dhanda: Communities and Local Government has adopted a selective disclosure policy whereby only the most high profile pieces of information and those of wider public interest are published as a matter of course on the disclosure log on its website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/coporate/about/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/
	To date, 5 per cent. of responses to requests made to Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 since 1 January 2005 have been published.

Fire Services: injuries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters, following injury  (a) retired and took their pensions due to injury,  (b) were re-employed within the Fire Service in other roles and  (c) left the Fire Service without their pension, in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: Available information, for ill-health retirements due to injury, which relate to all Fire and Rescue Staff (uniformed and non-uniformed) is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Ill-health retirements due to injury England 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 168 
			 2002-03 184 
			 2003-04 115 
			 2004-05 382 
			 2005-06 244 
			  Source: Annual returns to Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	Information on re-employments and leavers without pensions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Flood Control: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Scot Wilson Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for Mid Essex and Colchester will be published; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish it.

Iain Wright: The strategic flood risk assessment (SFRA) work undertaken by Scott Wilson was split into two phases. Phase 1 successfully completed in November 2006, with Phase 2 involving the delivery of the individual SFRA chapters to suit local development framework (LDF) timetables. This is a joint piece of work commissioned by Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon and Braintree local planning authorities to help inform their emerging LDFs.
	A number of factors led to the delay in publication of this study. In August 2007, the Environment Agency requested that the scope of the study be changed to take into account new guidance in planning policy statement 25 'Development and Flood Risk' and the accompanying practice manual to take account of the possible impacts of climate change for river systems, such as the incidence of higher density rainfall. This required the engagement of additional consultants to undertake reruns of the fluvial models, which took further time. However, undertaking this further work means that the final SFRA aims to comply with most recent Government guidance and provide the most up to date information in relation to flooding that also includes consideration of the potential impacts of climate change.

Greater London Authority: Standards

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if her Department will initiate a review into  (a) the governance of the London Development Agency and  (b) the operation of arrangements for the scrutiny of the Mayor of London's advisers.

John Healey: holding  answer 14 January 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 773-74.

Green Belt

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 131-39W, on green belt, how many hectares were designated green belt in  (a) Durham district and  (b) Easington district in 1997.

Iain Wright: There was no designated green belt land in Durham district or Easington district in 1997.

Heating: Standards

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will introduce legislation to require the retrospective implementation in council housing of the 2004 British Standard for water system thermostats.

Iain Wright: Last summer we began a wide ranging review of the Building Regulations to see whether any changes to the legal requirements might be made that would further improve the robustness and safety of hot water systems in all new homes and homes undergoing alteration and major building works. We do not want to pre-judge the outcome of this review.
	In parallel we are working with our colleagues in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and in industry to see whether additional guidance and a more robust approach to ensuring the proper implementation of legal provisions relating to safety in existing housing is needed.
	This review and our joint work with HSE and the industry will, of course, take account of the findings of the coroner, following the tragic death of Rhianna Hardie.

Housing

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what criteria the decision made to grant the housing market renewal scheme 1 billion of Government funding on 11 October 2007 was based.

Iain Wright: Decisions to grant the housing market renewal programme additional funding of around 1 billion for 2008 to 2011 were taken as part of allocations within the Department for Communities and Local Government following the comprehensive spending review 2007.
	The new funding reflects in part the initial success of the programme in narrowing the gaps in house prices and vacancies between pathfinders and their regions, as recognised in the National Audit Office's recent report on the programme. It also recognises that more remains to be donein some cases, to continue to tackle problems of deep-seated structural need, where markets are reviving more slowly; and in others to ensure that the housing market renewal and growth programmes can be taken forward together where appropriate, responding to emerging issues including the need for more affordable housing.
	Decisions on allocations to individual areas will be taken shortly.

Housing: Empty Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic dwellings in England are classified as empty.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 9 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 547-48W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will allow the redesignation of disused or underused farm buildings for the purposes of developing affordable housing.

Iain Wright: Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (PPS7) sets out a supportive approach to the re-use of buildings in the countryside where this would meet sustainable development objectives. Conversion for economic development uses is preferred but residential conversions may also be acceptable. Isolated new houses in the countryside will require special justification for planning permission to be granted but this may be provided if accommodation is needed, for example, to enable agricultural, forestry or other workers to live at or in the vicinity of their place of work.
	Any dwellings will count as new housing for the purposes of Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing (PPS3). PPS3 highlights the need for local authorities to plan for the provision of market and affordable housing in rural areas that contributes to the creation and maintenance of sustainable rural communities in market towns and villages. It also sets out how local authorities in rural areas should consider allocating and releasing sites solely for affordable housing, including using a rural exception site policy.
	It is for local planning authorities to determine planning applications, such as those for the development of disused or underused farm buildings for housing, in accordance with the statutory development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

Housing: Vista Panels

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts have been provided to Vista Panels by the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder schemes.

Iain Wright: None of the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders is known to my Department to have had a direct contract with Vista Panels.

Local Government Business Growth Initiative

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the local government business growth initiative (LEGI); and how much additional funding has been provided under the LEGI to local authorities.

John Healey: I understand my hon. Friend means this question to relate to Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme (LABGI) rather than Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI).
	At the end of the first year of LABGI, we revisited the methodology used to calculate the level of funding given to local authorities to ensure that the scheme continued to deliver an incentive for local authorities to maximise local economic growth. As a result, the scheme was simplified by removing the ceiling on payments made to local authorities.
	On 7 January 2007, the Government announced that, following further consideration of new legal challenges that have been made against the current scheme and the inherent uncertainty that this caused to the remaining LABGI pot, it intended to re-consider all aspects of the approach used to distribute the remaining resources available for Year 3 of the LABGI scheme. The full statement can be found at
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/labgi/statementyr3pay.pdf
	In October 2006, the Government published an issues paper, which sought views on reform of LABGI. This set out the Government's intention to develop an incentive as a full and permanent part of the local government finance system and to phase this in from 2009-10, with funding of 50 million doubling to 100 million in its second year. We are now considering the responses that have been received.

Members: Correspondence

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Harborough of 20 December 2007 on the eco-town proposal in Harborough.

Iain Wright: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) replied to the hon. Member on 17 January.

Muslims: Females

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to her answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1338-9W, on Muslims: females, which academics, theologians and leading Muslim women attended the two roundtable meetings in which women's access to mosque life was discussed; and who attended the two wider stakeholders meetings.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 January 2008
	In my right hon. Friend's answer of 18 December, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government identified two roundtable meetings at which the issue of women's access to mosque life was discussed. The following academics and theologians attended the first of these meetings:
	
		
			  Name  
			 Prof. Tariq Ramadan University of Oxford 
			 Prof. Tim Winters University of Cambridge 
			 Dr. Anas Sheikh-Ali AMSS UK 
			 Prof. Ron Geaves Liverpool Hope University 
			 Sheikh Gamal Manna Muslim College 
			 Dr. Usama Hasan Middlesex University 
			 Mehri Niknam Joseph Interfaith Foundation 
			 Dr. Shahid Raza British Muslim Forum 
			 Dilwar Hussein Islamic Foundation 
			 Dr. Musharraf Hussain Karimia Institute 
			 Prof. Haleh Afshar University of York 
			 Maleiha Malik Kings College London 
		
	
	The following stakeholders attended the second meeting.
	
		
			  Name  
			 Batool Al Toma Islamic Foundation 
			 Parvin Ali QBE FATMA Women's Network 
			 Naheed Arshad-Mather Chair, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Panel 
			 Zuleka Dala Mental Health Development Team, Yorkshire Primary Care Trust 
			 Reedah El-Saie Barrister 
			 Shahda Khan Principal Community Cohesion Officer, Middlesbrough Council 
			 Sabira Murtaza Lakha World Federation of Khoja Shi'a Ithna Asheri 
			 Adeeba Malik QED-UK 
			 Sabin Malik Principal Community Cohesion Officer, London borough of Hounslow 
			 Andleen Razaq Diversity Awareness Trainer, Metropolitan Police Force 
			 Shahien Taj Henna Foundation 
		
	
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government also identified two stakeholder roundtable meetings. The following persons attended one or both of these meetings:
	
		
			  Name  
			 Yousif al-Khoei Al-Koei Foundation 
			 Khurshid Ahmed British Muslim Forum 
			 Irfan Chishti Sufi Muslim Council 
			 Yasmin Alibhai-Brown British Muslims for Secular Democracy 
			 Parvin Ali FATIMA Women's Network 
			 Shahien Taj Henna Foundation 
			 Dr. Abdul Bari Muslim Council of Britain 
			 Abdulkarim Kubica Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre 
			 Shaista Gohir Muslim Women's Network 
			 Mohammed Imran Muslim Youth Helpline 
			 Hashim Duale Somali Community, Leicester 
			 Yahya Birt City Circle 
			 Sabira Lakha World Federation of Khoja Shi'a Ithna Asheri 
			 Aneela Majid British Muslims for Secular Democracy

Muslims: Females

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has published good practice guidance on initiatives to support the role of Muslim women in the community since the report on preventing violent extremism was published.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 The good practice guide on effective initiatives to strengthen the role that Muslim women play in their communities was published on 23 January.

Property

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when a consultation paper will be published on proposed reforms to the property search market.

Iain Wright: The consultation paper was published on 18 January.

Regeneration: Coventry

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants her Department has provided for the re-development of Coventry in the last 12 months; and what  (a) grants and  (b) loans for that purpose are planned for the future.

Parmjit Dhanda: There have been no specific Communities and Local Government grants or loans provided for the re-development of Coventry in the last 12 months apart from a contribution to Coventry's New Deal for Communities (NDC) initiative based in three deprived outer estates in the north east of the city.

Religious Buildings: Planning

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of how many sites applications for planning permission for change of use from a place of worship to  (a) private housing,  (b) commercial usage,  (c) community functions and  (d) other usage have been granted in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Communities and Local Government collects quarterly aggregate statistics on development control from all local planning authorities in England. However, we do not collect information on individual planning applications.

Repossession Orders: Housing Benefit

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many possession orders were  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed relating to properties owned by (i) registered social landlords and (ii) local authority housing departments because of non-payment of housing benefit by local authorities in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Data are not available relating to the number of possession actions initiated by social landlords or local authority housing departments which were suspended or dismissed on the grounds of non-payment of housing benefit by local authorities. This information could be compiled centrally only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the Ministry of Justice publishes general quarterly statistics on mortgage and landlord possession actions. This publication includes court-level data on the number of suspended orders, and is available from the statistics pages of the Ministry of Justice website.

Rural Areas: Business

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to promote rural towns as desirable places to set up and expand businesses.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government's review of sub-national economic development and regeneration (known as the SNR), published in July 2007, set out policies designed to enable all places, including rural towns, to reach their economic potential.
	Regional development agencies lead work to drive economic development in the regions. However, under the proposals set out in the SNR, local authorities will play an increasingly important role in driving forward economic development and will develop and deliver the regional strategy alongside the RDAs. The SNR also proposed a new economic appraisal duty for local authorities, which would require each upper tier local authority to assess the economic circumstances and challenges in its area. The Government will be consulting on these proposals shortly.

Rural Areas: Renewable Energy

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to assist rural households on planning issues in relation to alternative sources of energy and microgeneration.

Iain Wright: The Planning Policy Statement on climate change we published at the end of 2007 sets out new planning rules to boost the use of local renewable and low carbon energy. These expect local planners, whether in rural or urban locations, to promote and encourage alternative sources of energy and microgeneration when they help cut carbon emissions. We are also going to make it easier for householders including those in rural areas to install microgeneration equipment without the need to apply for planning permission, subject to certain safeguards to minimise the impact on others. Our aim is to amend the relevant legislation in the spring. Where the proposal would still require a planning application, and it is in line with our new policy rules for cutting carbon emissions, we expect it to be handled expeditiously and sympathetically.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Arrests

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions have been made and  (b) fixed penalty notices have been issued by (i) police and (ii) local authorities for (A) fly tipping, (B) graffiti, (C) dog fouling, (D) the dropping of litter and (E) parking offences in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on prosecutions at magistrates courts is held by the Ministry of Justice for (A) fly tipping offences, (B) 'other' criminal damage, (C) dog fouling, (D) littering and (E) parking offences since 1997; these are provided in the following tables. The offence class of 'other' criminal damage includes, but cannot separately identify, offences of graffiti. Data on fly posting offences cannot be separately identified from the data held by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  (A) Fly tipping 
			   Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court 
			 2006 1,791 
			 2005 1,550 
			 2004 1,317 
			 2003 985 
			 2002 922 
			 2001 732 
			 2000 648 
			 1999 564 
			 1998 516 
			 1997 393 
		
	
	
		
			  (B) 'Other' criminal damage 
			   Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court 
			 2006 13,478 
			 2005 12,368 
			 2004 13,359 
			 2003 13,852 
			 2002 14,152 
			 2001 13,820 
			 2000 12,802 
			 1999 13,932 
			 1998 14,148 
			 1997 13,734 
		
	
	
		
			  (C) Dog Fouling 
			   Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court 
			 2006 404 
			 2005 473 
			 2004 461 
			 2003 454 
			 2002 355 
			 2001 366 
			 2000 341 
			 1999 294 
			 1998 184 
			 1997 45 
		
	
	
		
			  (D) Littering 
			   Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court 
			 2006 2,031 
			 2005 1,447 
			 2004 909 
			 2003 552 
			 2002 333 
			 2001 457 
			 2000 466 
			 1999 506 
			 1998 496 
			 1997 506 
		
	
	
		
			  (E) Parking Offences 
			   Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court 
			 2006 9,059 
			 2005 10,972 
			 2004 14,710 
			 2003 17,729 
			 2002 17,554 
			 2001 18,966 
			 2000 19,624 
			 1999 22,869 
			 1998 23,572 
			 1997 21,051 
		
	
	Data are collected by DEFRA on the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by local authorities, and how many had subsequently been taken to prosecution due to non-payment. Police Community Support Officers can issue FPNs if they have the relevant approval; such FPNs are issued on behalf of the local authority and are included in the aggregated figure provided by each local authority to DEFRA each year. FPNs cannot be issued for fly tipping offences.
	The numbers of FPNs issued for each offence each year are included in the following tables.
	
		
			  (B) Graffiti 
			  Reporting year  (April to March)  Number of Fixed Penalty Notices issued  Number of cases taken to court following non-payment 
			 2006-07 42 2 
			 2005-06 47 3 
			 2004-05 19 2 
		
	
	As the power to issue FPNs for graffiti offences was introduced in 2003, statistics do not exist prior to this date.
	
		
			  (C) Dog Fouling 
			  Reporting year  (April to March)  Number of Fixed Penalty Notices issued  Number of cases taken to court following non-payment 
			 2006-07 3,675 205 
			 2005-06 4,066 303 
			 2004-05 3,557 330 
			 2003-04 2,742 193 
			 2002-03 2,036 127 
			 2001-02 2,311 190 
			 2000-01 1,817 91 
			 1999-2000 1,545 111 
			 1998-99 1,321 90 
			 1997-98 292 11 
		
	
	
		
			  (D) Litter 
			  Reporting Year  Number of Fixed Penalty Notices  i ssued  Number of  c ases  t aken to  c ourt  f ollowing  n on- p ayment 
			 2006-07 43,624 2,144 
			 2005-06 33,033 1,002 
			 2004-05 25,216 1,100 
			 2003-04 7,565 266 
			 2002-03 12,820 169 
			 2001-02 11,615 175 
			 2000-01 2,247 66 
			 1999-2000 2,970 30 
			 1998-99 4,777 13 
			 1997-98 727 74 
		
	
	The parking offences for which a FPN can be issued are nuisance parking and abandoned vehicles, as defined in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. The first year of available data is for the period April 2006 to March 2007.
	
		
			  Reporting year  April 2006 to March 2007  Number of Fixed Penalty Notices issued  Number of cases taken to court following non-payment 
			  (E(i)) Nuisance parking 1,657 0 
			  (E(ii)) Abandoned vehicles 469 16 
		
	
	The police can issue penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) which can include offences such as littering. The littering offence was added to the PND scheme in 2004 when it was rolled out nationally.
	Data on the number of PNDs issued for littering broken down by police force area are published as a part of the publication 'Penalty Notices for Disorder' for 2004 data and as a part of 'Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 2006' (for 2005 and 2006 data). These are available on the Ministry of Justice website.

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give a breakdown by  (a) sex and  (b) age group of asylum applicants granted leave to remain in the UK via (i) asylum status, (ii) exceptional leave to remain, discretionary leave to remain or humanitarian protection, (iii) the 1998 backlog exercise and (iv) the 2000 family ILR exercise in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Information on initial decisions by sex for years 2001 to 2006 are available from the annual Statistical Bulletins Asylum Statistics United Kingdom.
	Information on initial decisions by age of applicants for years 1997 to 2000 are available from the annual Statistical Bulletins Asylum Statistics United Kingdom, information for 2001 to 2006 will be placed in the House Libraries. Categories and the presentation of data changed in 2001 and this is reflected in the tables provided.
	Information on the 1998 backlog exercise and the 2000 family ILR exercise is not available broken down by age and sex and could be obtained by examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of the people whose asylum cases  (a) were considered under the Legacy Casework Programme were unsuccessful have been removed and  (b) are awaiting removal; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In her update to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 17 December 2007, Lin Homer (the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency) stated that 52,000 cases have been concluded by the Case Resolution Directorate, of which about 16,000 have led to removals. We do not hold information on how many cases have been considered and are awaiting removal.
	Lin Homer gave an undertaking to update the Home Affairs Select Committee every six months.

Asylum

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seeker legacy cases have been recognised in  (a) Newcastle and  (b) the North East; and how many such cases have been determined.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The information requested cannot be provided except by examining individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Applications

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are issued to case decision-makers in the Borders and Immigration Agency on the economic and social consequences for applicants for indefinite leave to remain of the time taken to make decisions on individual applications.

Liam Byrne: There is no specific guidance issued to caseworkers on the economic and social consequences of time taken to process a decision on Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications.
	The Border and Immigration Agency have time based targets for dealing with such applications, the majority of which are met. Targets that are 70 per cent. of all decisions on in time applications requesting indefinite leave to remain are made within 20 days of receipt and that 90 per cent. are decided within 70 days.

Asylum: Dublin II Agreement

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers her Department has requested the return of under the Dublin II Agreement in each year since it came into force.

Liam Byrne: Approximately 7,920 requests have been made by the United Kingdom under the provisions of the Dublin II regulation since its introduction on 1 September 2003. Statistics on the number of requests between September and December 2003 is unavailable. The yearly breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 2,320 
			 2005 1,840 
			 2006 1,960 
			 2007 1,800 
		
	
	These figures are based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, is subject to change and should be treated as provisional. These figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Asylum: Dublin II Agreement

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been returned to the UK under the Dublin II Agreement in each year since it came into force.

Liam Byrne: A total of approximately 1,165 asylum seekers have been returned to the UK from other EU countries under Dublin provisions since 2004. The Dublin II regulation was introduced on 1 September 2003 and replaced the Dublin convention. The statistics, as follows, include returns under both the Dublin convention and regulation as we are unable to provide figures on the Dublin regulation alone. Returns information from September to December 2003 is unavailable. A yearly breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 90 
			 2005 265 
			 2006 440 
			 2007 370 
		
	
	These figures are based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, is subject to change and should be treated as provisional. These figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Asylum: Social Security Benefits

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were in receipt of asylum support in each year since 1 January 2004, broken down by nationality; and how many in receipt of such support had been refused asylum.

Liam Byrne: The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support broken down by nationality are published annually in the Asylum Statistics United Kingdom bulletins. The latest bulletin for 2006 and historic publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Information on decision outcomes relating specifically to supported asylum seekers is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Campsfield House Detention Centre: Costs

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to public funds of responding to the break-out from Campfield House Detention Centre in August 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 22 January 2008
	Any costs incurred by the Border and Immigration Agency as a result of the disturbance in Campsfield House in August 2007 are reclaimed from the contractors through a joint insurance arrangement.

Council of Europe Convention on Human Trafficking

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to complete the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Human Trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 17 January 2008
	The Government are determined to prioritise the effort to tackle the misery of human trafficking. That is why we intend to ratify the Convention before the end of this year, subject to achieving necessary changes to domestic legislation in all parts of the UK.

Crime: Romania

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) Romanian and  (b) Bulgarian nationals have been arrested by Metropolitan Police officers since January 2007.

Tony McNulty: The arrests collection undertaken by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform provides data only on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) broken down by age group, gender, ethnicity, police force area and main offence group. The nationality of the arrestee does not form part of this collection.

Crimes of Violence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases of actual bodily harm police cautions were used in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such cases were first offences.

Tony McNulty: Data showing the number of offenders cautioned, proceeded against and found guilty of actual bodily harm offences in England and Wales from 2002 to 2006 have been provided by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and are given in the following table.
	Information is not available on the number of these cases which were first offences.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned, and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for actual bodily harm offences( 1) , in England and Wales, 2002 to 2006( 2, 3) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Proceeded against 34,785 35,955 30,109 28,091 26,231 
			 Found guilty 15,026 15,087 14,663 16,071 16,663 
			 Cautioned 15,773 20,397 25,707 38,094 42,171 
			 (1) Includes the following offences: Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm (malicious wounding), Offences against the Person Act 1861 section 47 (in part). Racially aggravated assaults occasioning actual bodily harm (malicious wounding), Offences Against the Person Act 1861 section 47 (in part) as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 section 29(1)(b)  (2). Religiously aggravated ABH, Offences Against the Person Act 1861 section 47 as amended by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 section 29(1)(b)  (2). Racially or religiously aggravated ABH, Offences Against the Person Act 1861 section 47 as amended by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 section 29(1)(b)  (2). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies spent on end-of-year bonus payments in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: End of year bonus payments for staff in Home Office headquarters, the Border and Immigration Agency, and for senior civil servants across the Home Office are linked to performance appraisals. The following table provides the amount paid in end of year bonuses to these staff in the last four years:
	
		
			   Amount paid () 
			 2002-03 2,067,878 
			 2003-04 3,361,516 
			 2004-05 4,287,676 
			 2005-06 4,449,667 
		
	
	Figures for 2006-07 are subject to some change as data are not yet complete.
	Staff in the Identity and Passport Service receive end of year corporate bonuses, and change agent bonuses. As the corporate bonuses were only introduced in 2003-04 the following table provides information for the last four years only:
	
		
			   Amount paid () 
			 2003-04 388,874 
			 2004-05 731,484 
			 2005-06 1,068,482 
			 2006-07 1,253,045 
		
	
	Staff in the Criminal Records Bureau do not receive end of year bonuses.
	Data are not available from the Prison Service, who were formally an agency of the Home Office prior to transferring to the Ministry of Justice, as obtaining these data is possible only at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many dependants have entered the UK with foreign nationals obtaining a grant of an after-entry application to  (a) vary leave,  (b) vary leave for permit-free employment and  (c) vary leave for business in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many holders of student visas of each nationality have been granted an extension of their entry visa on  (a) two occasions and  (b) three or more occasions in each year since 2001;
	(3)  how many foreign nationals granted an after entry application  (a) to vary leave,  (b) to vary leave for permit-free employment and  (c) to vary leave for business had obtained (i) a previous extension of leave and (ii) two or more previous extensions of leave in the last year for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many  (a) applications and  (b) refusals there were of applications for after entry variation of leave for (i) permit-free employment and (ii) business in each year since 1997;
	(5)  how many grants of after entry applications to vary leave for business were made in  (a) each year since 1997 and  (b) each quarter since 1 January 2004; what the percentage change in grants made was between each such period; and how many foreign nationals of each nationality obtained such a grant in each year since January 2004;
	(6)  how many grants of after entry applications to vary leave for permit-free employment were made in  (a) each year since 1997 and  (b) each quarter since 1 January 2004; what the percentage change in grants made was between each such period; and how many such grants were made (i) in each category and (ii) for foreign nationals of each nationality in each of the last three years for which such figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Health Professions

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether overseas doctors and international medical graduates are eligible for highly skilled migrant status; and whether there is any restriction on numbers by category of medical specialty;
	(2)  what joint Home Office and Department of Health groups have responsibility for planning highly skilled migrant programme numbers in relation to service and training needs.

Liam Byrne: Migrants may come to the UK or extend their leave here under the highly skilled migrant programme, subject to gaining sufficient points against four objective criteria (qualifications, previous earnings, age and UK experience) and meeting any other requirements for that category in the immigration rules. There is no restriction on numbers by category of medical speciality. National health service workforce planning is a matter for the Department of Health.

Entry Clearances: Pakistan

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many spouses from Pakistan left the marital home before being granted indefinite leave to remain and were allowed to stay in the UK as a result of an administrative decision by her Department in each year since 2000.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is not readily available and could be obtained only by examining individual case files at a disproportionate cost.
	The number of Pakistani spouses who left the marital home and were subsequently recorded as being granted indefinite leave to remain on the basis of domestic violence since 2003 is shown in the table.
	This information has not been quality assured and is not a national statistic. It should be treated as provisional management information and may be subject to change. Data have been rounded to the nearest five.
	
		
			   Number of cases 
			 2003 15 
			 2004 70 
			 2005 40 
			 2006 65 
			 2007 70

Entry Clearances: Students

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether those applying to extend their student visa are asked whether they have previously had their visa extended.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 January 2008
	When a student applies for an extension to their student visa the application form requires the student to provide details of their previous studies if the student has previously been granted permission to study in the United Kingdom. Their application is supported by their passport or travel document which will include their previous visa extension.

Entry Clearances: Students

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made on whether students whose visas are extended for further academic study attend their new courses.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 January 2008
	One of the provisions of the student rules is that a student needs to provide evidence of enrolment from an institution on the Register of Education and Training Providers before an extension may be granted.
	If a student fails to attend, the institution must provide details to the Border and Immigration Agency on demand.
	When a student applies for an extension to their leave, the application form requires the institution to provide written confirmation of the student's attendance.
	Under the proposed new Points Based System, there will be a mandatory requirement on institutions to report non-attendance of their students. This will be supported by sanctions on the institutions and may include removal from the sponsorship register for failure to meet this requirement.

Entry Clearances: Students

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visa extensions were granted for students  (a) to pursue a full-time recognised degree course,  (b) to pursue a weekday daytime course involving a minimum of 15 hours per week,  (c) to attend a full-time course of study at an independent fee paying school,  (d) to re-sit an examination,  (e) to write up a thesis,  (f) to follow a nursing training course at a recognised nursing educational establishment,  (g) as a sabbatical officer and  (h) for another purpose in 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The information in the form requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	However, statistics on decisions on applications for an extension of leave to remain are published in chapter 4 of the Command Paper 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006'. This publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Genetics: Database

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research projects have been undertaken using data from the National DNA Database; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 15 January 200 8
	Data from the National DNA Database (NDNAD) have been provided to the following organisations for research purposes.
	 Forensic Science Service:
	10 projects relating to assistance to forensic providers for R and D papers, not specific investigations.
	one project relating to police operations, requiring anonymised NDNAD profiles.
	one project relating to database improvements.
	 Home Office:
	two Research Development and Statistics projects relating to match reporting.
	one project relating to police operations on behalf of Interpol (this was reported as G8 rather than Interpol in response to an earlier Freedom of Information Act query).
	one project relating to database improvements (these data are now provided as routine management information and no longer classified as research).
	one project to identify new leads on undetected prolific offenders involved in at least one serious crime offence.
	 Greater Manchester Police:
	one project relating to police operations, checking against the NDNAD for named individuals.
	 Merseyside Police:
	one project using exhibits from solved cases.
	 LGC (forensic services provider):
	one project relating to assistance to forensic providers for R and D papers, not specific investigations.
	one project on the further development of familial searching software.
	one project on the confirmation of rarely found types of DNA.
	 Cellmark Forensic Services:
	one project on the further development of familial searching software.

Immigrants: Carers

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to change the minimum salary regime for senior carer work permit renewals; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Work permit salary guidance for all occupations is kept continuously under review, and is updated in line with the latest and most robust salary data available from industry. Salary guidance for senior care workers is no exception.
	The current rate is derived from Skills for Care's National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC), which is the most comprehensive salary data we have identified for this sector.
	Work permit applications, including extensions, are assessed against the going rate at the time that the application is made. It has always been a requirement, for any job, that work permit holders must be paid at least equal to the going rate that would normally attract a suitably skilled resident worker. It is essential that we prevent skilled migrants from being exploited as a source of cheap labour, and salaries for skilled resident workers from being undercut.
	As part of the transitional measures we are putting in place for existing work permit holders, an exceptional in-country extension may be granted for a maximum of 12 months for those senior care workers who have had work permits approved prior to 31 December 2003. The requirement for employers to pay the current going rate will be exceptionally waived, providing the salary is at least equal to that on the previous work permit approval.
	This is part of a package of transitional measures we have introduced to assist the sector in maintaining continuity of care whilst it adapts its staff recruitment and retention practices to more effectively target the resident work force.

Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the cases in which leave to remain in the UK was granted under the legacy exercise related to  (a) failed asylum seekers and  (b) asylum seekers whose cases had yet to be considered.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 10 January 2008
	We do not hold this information in the format requested and to obtain it would involve disproportionate cost.

Immigration Controls

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into the effects of reducing the coverage of the resident labour market test;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the proportion of jobs covered by the requirements of the resident labour market list;
	(3)  pursuant to her answer of 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 86W, on immigration controls, what decisions she has made on the future operation of the resident labour market test; and what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of jobs which would no longer be subject to the labour market test if the test threshold was set at a salary of  (a) 30,000,  (b) 40,000 and  (c) 50,000 a year.

Liam Byrne: We will ensure that under the PBS we continue to protect the privileged position held by British workers in the job market.

Immigration Controls: Expenditure

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the juxtaposed UK immigration controls at Paris, Lille and Brussels cost in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 : The information is as follows:
	(a) The juxtaposed UK immigration controls at Paris, Lille and Brussels cost 7,102,500 in 2005-06.
	(b) The juxtaposed UK immigration controls at Paris, Lille and Brussels cost 8,492,000 in 2006-07.

Migrant Workers

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what publications the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) provide for nationals of Bulgaria and Romania explaining the procedures for confirming their status as self-employed persons to the relevant United Kingdom authorities; what evidence is required by the BIA to establish that such nationals are self-employed; and what penalties have been imposed on such nationals who have not satisfied the BIA that they are self-employed.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office has produced a booklet for Romanian and Bulgarian nationals entitled 'Living and Working in the UK', detailing the rights and responsibilities of 'A2' nationals from 1 January 2007. Further information on what documentation to apply for, relevant criteria and application forms can be found on the BIA website.
	A 'self-employed person' is someone who has established themselves in the UK in order to pursue activity as a self-employed person. Examples of evidence to prove such status includes:
	Invoices showing payment for services or contracts to provide services
	Evidence from HMRC of national insurance special reference number
	Evidence from HMRC of registration for tax
	Evidence from HMRC of national insurance contributions
	This list is not exhaustive. More information can be found on the HMRC website here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/selfemployed/
	If a Bulgarian or Romanian national falsely claims to be a self-employed person, they are not residing in the UK in accordance with the Accession Regulations and may be subject to prosecution and/or a Fixed Penalty of 1,000 may be issued. We do not routinely record this information.

Organised Crime: Romania

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken in co-operation with the Romanian police to tackle criminal Romanian gangs operating in London.

Vernon Coaker: Tackling the menace of organised crime is a top priority for the Government. The establishment of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in 2006 signalled the Government's determination to make the UK one of the toughest places in the world to operate, irrespective of nationality.
	We have been working for some time and continue to do so, with Romanian authorities and crime agencies to identify, and close the door to organised crime groups. The close working relationship has resulted in two Romanian police officers being placed with the Metropolitan police 'Operation Golf' to help identify children who they believe were trafficked out of Romania by an organised crime network for the purpose of criminal exploitation.

Police: Pay

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average pay is for all grades of police officer in England;
	(2)  what the average pay for a police constable in England including all allowances is in 2007-08.

Tony McNulty: Information on average salary by rank is not held centrally. Information on pay scales for all police ranks was taken from the Police Negotiating Board Circulars available at the Office of Manpower Services website:
	www.ome.uk.com.
	
		
			  Pay scales for all police officer ranks in England from 1 September 2006 
			   Pay scale 
			 Constable 21,009-32,985 
			 Sergeant 32,985-37,071 
			 Inspector 42,264-45,843 
			 Inspector (London) 44,118-47,709 
			 Chief Inspector 46,779-48,705 
			 Chief Inspector (London) 48,645-50,568 
			 Superintendent 56,274-65,565 
			 Chief Superintendent 67,200-71,031 
			 Assistant Chief Constable 81,954-95,613 
			 Deputy Chief Constable (including Deputy Metropolitan Commissioner) 98,346-193,959 
			 Chief Constable (including Metropolitan Commissioner) 117,468-234,939 
		
	
	Police officers are entitled to a range of allowances as set out in the Police Regulations 2003 and the Secretary of State's determinations under the regulations. Some of the principle allowances are:
	Officers serving in the Metropolitan or City of London forces are eligible for:
	
		
			
			 London Allowance 4,338 
			 London Weighting 2,055 
		
	
	A South East England Allowance is payable to members of the forces listed as follows at the rates given:
	
		
			
			 Essex, Herts, Kent, Surrey, Thames Valley 2,000 
			 Beds, Hants, Sussex 1,000 
		
	
	As set out in the Police Negotiating Board Circular 03/16 some posts (determined by the chief office and police authority) are eligible for a special priority payment. The payments can be between 500 and 3,000 and exceptionally up to 5,000.

Stop and Search

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stops and searches were conducted  (a) in total and  (b) per 1,000 population in each police force area, in each year since 1997; and what percentage of (i) the total and (ii) the number in each area resulted in an arrest in each year.

Tony McNulty: The available information by financial year is given in the tables placed in the House Library.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2008,  Official Report, column 574W, on abortion, what the  (a) prefix and  (b) title is of each file held by his Department on (i) the Abortion (Amendment) Bill of Session 1987-88, (ii) the Unborn Children (Protection) Bills of Sessions (A) 1984-85, (B) 1985-86 and (C) 1987-98 and (c) the Abortion Act 1967; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Autism: Elderly

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to assist elderly people who are on the autism spectrum.

Ivan Lewis: The provision of services for people with autism is a matter for the appropriate local authority and national health service bodies who are required to prioritise and allocate funding for services based on their assessment of the needs of their local populations.
	The Putting People First Concordat sets out a shared vision for the transformation of social care. It articulates the common aims and values that will guide all the participants in modernising adult social care. Ensuring individualised responses for older people including people with autistic spectrum conditions, will be part of this transformation. This may be through provision of direct payments or individual budgets should current pilots prove successful. These provide greater choice and control for people needing support, and place the person who is supported at the centre of the process.

Cancer: Prescriptions

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued in relation to cancer in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of these were  (a) exempt from charges and  (b) paid for by pre-payment certificate.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.

Departmental Equality

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to paragraph 29, page 35 of his Department's resource accounts for 2006-07, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Commission for Racial Equality Action Plan.

Ivan Lewis: As noted in the resource accounts, the action plan was incorporated into the Department's single equality scheme (where it is included in chapter 14). The scheme was published in June 2007 and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Equalityandhumanrights/SingleEqualityScheme/index.htm
	A copy of the scheme has been placed in the Library. The Department is working to produce a revised single equality scheme by 29 February 2008.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug rehabilitation clinics there were in  (a) Romford,  (b) Essex and  (c) Greater London in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The specific information requested is not collected centrally.

Food: Cloning Animals

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the cloning of animals for food production; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The sale of foods and food ingredients derived from cloned animals falls within the scope of the Novel Foods Regulation (EC) 258/97. The authorisation and labelling of novel foods is decided on a case-by-case basis and no applications have been received to date for the authorisation of products derived from cloned animals. Any application would be evaluated on the basis of the information provided. In the meantime, foods obtained from cloned animals cannot be sold for human consumption.

Food: Cloning Animals

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the European Food Standards Agency's draft scientific opinions relating to the  (a) food safety,  (b) animal health and welfare and  (c) environmental impact of cloned animals, their offspring and the products obtained from these animals; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued its draft opinion for consultation on 11 January 2008. The Food Standards Agency is examining the food safety aspects of the draft opinion and will provide its comments to EFSA before the end of the consultation period, which runs until 25 February 2008. Animal health and welfare and the environmental impact of farming practices are the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Health Education: Religious Practice

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health advice his Department provides related to religious observance; and what  (a) advice and  (b) funding was received from relevant faith organisations in each case.

Ivan Lewis: The Department recognises that we all now live in a multicultural, multi-faith society. The Department is committed to recognising the needs of patients and staff of diverse religious groups, and to responding sensitively and appropriately to these needs.
	In November 2003 the Department published NHS Chaplaincy: Meeting the Religious and Spiritual needs of Patients and Staff, which aims to ensure that national health service chaplaincy services reflect the religious diversity of the communities the NHS serves. This guidance was developed with advice from the Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy, an independent group, which includes representatives from nine faith communities.
	In September 2007 the Department funded an independent organisation called Communities in Action to produce a Ramadan Health Guide providing information and advice on maximising health gain during the Muslim fast, which was developed in consultation with a number of Muslim community organisations and clinicians.
	In December 2007 the Department published a leaflet entitled Going to Hajj or Umrah? This leaflet explains and offers advice on some of the risks concerning meningitis for travellers to the Muslim pilgrimage.
	Following the introduction of the Equality Act (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2006, the Department has commissioned independent consultants to develop a practical guide to these regulations, which prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities and services.
	In each case, no funding was received from faith organisations in the development of this advice.

Hepatitis B

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) males and  (b) females in each age group had hepatitis B in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex and (iii) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: Surveillance of hepatitis B is based upon reports of confirmed acute hepatitis B diagnoses from laboratories in England and Wales. The information available, which is from 1998 to 2003 and down to regional level, is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Laboratory confirmed cases of acute hepatitis B, England and Wales , 1998  to 2003 
			   1998  1999  2000 
			  Age group  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total 
			 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 1-4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 5-9 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 10-14 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 5 
			 years 15-24 124 99 5 225 107 92 6 205 98 80 6 184 
			 years 25-34 212 79 5 296 164 72 5 240 192 56 10 258 
			 years 35-44 106 35 5 145 109 27 5 138 99 31 5 131 
			 years 45-54 66 20 5 86 63 11 5 74 61 14 5 75 
			 years 55-64 26 5 5 29 28 5 5 34 25 8 5 35 
			 years =65 16 9 5 26 18 7 5 28 14 6 5 20 
			 Years Not known 19 8 5 28 17 5 5 21 9 4 5 14 
			 Total 574 256 13 843 512 223 17 752 503 204 20 727 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002  2003 
			  Age group  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total 
			 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 1-4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 5-9 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 10-14 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 years 15-24 71 73 5 147 112 92 5 208 67 52 5 124 
			 years 25-34 140 51 5 195 208 77 5 289 156 70 5 231 
			 years 35-44 96 31 5 130 158 46 5 206 137 35 5 172 
			 years 45-54 52 7 5 62 69 16 5 86 67 19 5 87 
			 years 55-64 23 5 5 26 42 7 5 51 37 9 5 47 
			 years =65 15 5 5 20 17 7 5 24 20 10 5 30 
			 Years Not known 11 5 5 15 12 5 5 21 5 5 5 8 
			 Total 411 173 15 599 622 256 17 895 494 200 15 709 
		
	
	
		
			  Laboratory confirmed cases of acute hepatitis B, East of England, 1998 to 2003 
			   1998  1999  2000 
			  Age group  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total 
			 1 year 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 1-4 year 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 5-9 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 10-14 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 15-24 years 5 6 5 6 5 7 5 12 5 12 5 17 
			 25-34 years 11 5 5 13 16 4 5 20 15 6 5 21 
			 35-44 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 5 5 8 
			 45-54 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 55-64 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 =65 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Not known 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Total 22 10 5 32 31 12 5 43 33 23 5 56 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002  2003 
			  Age group  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total  Male  Female  Not known  Total 
			 1 year 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 1-4 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 5-9 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 10-14 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 15-24 years 6 5 5 11 10 5 5 15 5 5 5 5 
			 25-34 years 11 5 5 15 16 7 5 23 5 7 5 9 
			 35-44 years 5 5 5 10 12 5 5 14 8 5 5 11 
			 45-54 years 6 5 5 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 9 
			 55-64 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 =65 years 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Not known 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Total 29 15 5 45 43 18 5 61 23 20 5 43 
			  Notes: 1. Since 2003, the completeness of data on whether hepatitis B infections are acute or chronic infection has decreased and therefore figures for 2004 onwards are not reliable. The HPA is working to improve the quality of information on acute hepatitis B reporting and provisional data for 2007 should be available later this year. 2. Data are reported by laboratory rather than by the patient's place of residence. Therefore, any breakdown of data below regional level is not considered reliable. 3. Where fewer than five cases were reported for an area, the table indicates the number of cases reported as 5 rather than the actual number in order to reduce the risk of deductive disclosure of an individual's identity.  Source: Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Human Embryo Experiments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2008,  Official Report, column 591W, on human embryo experiments, what the  (a) prefix and  (b) title is of each file held by his Department on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill of Session 1989-90; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The prefixes and titles of the files held by the Department, concerning the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill of session 1989-90, and related papers are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  File prefix  File title 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/01/VO5 HFE Bill 1990 Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/01/VO6 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/01/VO7 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/01/VO8 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/01/VO9 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/01/V10 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/02/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Post Warnock Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/02/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Post Warnock Consultations 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/VO3 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/VO4 HFE Bill 1990 Post Warnock 
			 INW0014/0030/0001/VO5 HFE Bill 1990 Post Warnock 
			 INW0014/0030/0002/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 H of L Committee Stage Amendments 
			 INW0014/0030/0002/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 H of L Committee Stage Amendments 
			 INW0014/0030/0002/VO3 HFE Bill 1990 H of L Committee Stage Amendments 
			 INW0014/0030/0003/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Lords Report Stage 
			 INW0014/0030/0003/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Report Stage 
			 INW0014/0030/0003/VO3 HFE Bill 1990 Report Stage 
			 INW0014/0030/0004/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 H of L 2nd and 3rd Reading 
			 INW0014/0030/0005/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Commons 2nd Reading 
			 INW0014/0030/0006/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Commons Committee 
			 INW0014/0030/0007/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Standing Committee 
			 INW0014/0030/0008/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Lords Consideration of Common's Amendments 
			 INW0014/0030/0009/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Notes on Clauses 
			 INW0014/0030/0010/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Various Papers 
			 INW0014/0030/0011/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Interim Licensing Authority 
			 INW0014/0030/0011/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Confidentiality Provisions 
			 INW0014/0030/0012/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Confidentiality Provisions 
			 INW0014/0030/0012/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Hansard 
			 INW0014/0030/0012 HFE Bill 1990 Hansard 
			 INW0014/0030/0013/VO1 to VO7 HFE Bill 1990 Disclosure of Information 
			 INW0014/0030/0014/VO1 to VO3 HFE Bill 1990 Surrogate Arrangement Bill 
			 INW0014/0030/0015/VO1 to VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Policy on Legislation 
			 INW0014/0030/0016/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Code of Practice 
			 INW0014/0030/0017/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Appointments 
			 INW0014/0030/0018/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 DTI: Restrictive Trade Practices 
			 INW0014/0030/0019/VO1 HFE Bill 1990 Post Warnock 
			 INW0014/0030/0019/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Consultation Documents Responses Legal Nursing Post Warnock 
			 INW0014/0030/0019/VO3 HFE Bill 1990 Consultation Documents Responses Post Warnock 
			 INW0014/0030/0136/VO2 HFE Bill 1990 Disclosure of Information 
			 INW0014/0030/VOO24 HFE Bill 1990 H of L Committee Stage Amendments 
			 INW0030/0001/0001/VO1 to VO4 HFE Bill 1990 Warnock Report Consultations

Meat Hygiene Service

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Meat Hygiene Service has to alter its method of charging from headage to hourly rates.

Dawn Primarolo: We understand from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) currently charges industry for a proportion of the costs it incurs in carrying out meat hygiene and animal welfare official controls at approved meat premises. Businesses are charged the lower of the hourly MHS staff costs of delivering the official controls or a charge calculated from specified rates per animal or tonne of meat that is processed.
	The FSA Board decided last July that the MHS should seek to progressively recover an increasing proportion of the cost of the meat hygiene and animal welfare controls that it provides and should seek to introduce charges for specified risk material official controls. At the same time, the MHS was required to improve efficiency.
	The MHS is making significant changes to its operation that will reduce total costs in real terms from 91.3 million in 2006-07 to 75.0 million in 2011-12. In transforming, the MHS will continue to provide assurance that the meat industry produces safe meat for consumers.
	The MHS is working with the FSA and with industry stakeholders to develop a charging system that will encourage the efficient use of MHS staff.

Meat Hygiene Service

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the  (a) operation and  (b) cost efficiency of the Meat Hygiene Service;
	(2)  what plans he has to reform the operation of the Meat Hygiene Service; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy to replace the Meat Hygiene Service with private commercial inspection organisations.

Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reviewed the delivery of official controls currently undertaken by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) in approved meat premises and a range of possible alternatives. This led the FSA board to set the MHS challenging targets to reduce the total and net costs of its operations over the next three financial years; to improve its productivity; to make full and cost effective use of its independent contractors; and to develop new charging arrangements. The board also decided that work should continue on preparations to pilot an alternative delivery model for its further consideration later this year.

Meat Hygiene Service

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will contribute to the Meat Hygiene Service's current consultation on charges; and if he will publish the results of the consultation.

Dawn Primarolo: We understand from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the responses to the consultation are being considered and that a summary of them will be submitted to Ministers in the normal way when the regulations to which they relate are submitted for approval. We understand that the responses summary, with joint FSA/Meat Hygiene Service comments, will be published on the FSA's website.

Meat Hygiene Service

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the operation of the Meat Hygiene Service.

Dawn Primarolo: We have received four letters, including three from hon. Members.

Meat Hygiene Service

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the operating cost of the Meat Hygiene Service was in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The operating costs (including inflation) of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) for the last 10 years are:
	
		
			million 
			 1997-98 55.0 
			 1998-99 63.1 
			 1999-2000 66.9 
			 2000-01 64.6 
			 2001-02 77.7 
			 2002-03 81.2 
			 2003-04 82.1 
			 2004-05 83.0 
			 2005-06 88.2 
			 2006-07 91.3 
		
	
	During this period MHS activity has increased and includes: the introduction of specified risk material controls; an increase in the attendance level of official veterinarians as required by European Union legislation; additional activity required during the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak; and additional work involved in the introduction of the system to allow over-30-month beef to enter the human food chain.
	In real terms, MHS costs have remained relatively flat since 2001 and are forecast to fall in 2007-08.
	The MHS transformation plans will see a reduction in total costs in real terms from 91.3 million in 2006-07 to 75.0 million in 2011-12, carrying out its role efficiently.

NHS: Costs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the direct health care costs, in current prices, of obesity  (a) in the most recent year for which figures are available and  (b) in 2050 or the latest year for which an estimate is available.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2005 the Government asked the Government Office for Science's Foresight programme to examine the scale of the obesity problem. They estimated that in 2007, the total cost to the national health service of diseases in which body mass index is a risk factor was 17.4 billion, of which obesity is estimated to account for 1 billion. The Foresight report anticipates that, at today's prices, the NHS cost of overweight and obesity could rise to 6.5 billion by 2050.

Pregnant Women: Streptococcus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the introduction of routine screening of pregnant women for Group B Strep;
	(2)  what steps the Government have taken to educate  (a) relevant health professionals and  (b) pregnant women about the symptoms and prevention of Group B Strep infections in babies;
	(3)  what representations he has received from the Health Protection Agency on the use of the enriched culture medium (ECM) testing method for detecting Group B Strep in late pregnancy; and if he will bring forward proposals for the ECM test to be available on the NHS.

Dawn Primarolo: Current policy, on advice from the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is not to offer routine screening for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage to all pregnant women, because there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that this would be beneficial. A cost benefit analysis would usually be commissioned only when the evidence supported screening.
	A health technology assessment (HTA) cost effectiveness modelling study, commissioned by the UK NSC, which compared different management strategies for GBS in pregnancy has reported.
	The HTA report recommends that the current screening policy should not be changed without further research and that research to evaluate the efficacy of a vaccine for GBS should be prioritised. The researchers also recommend a revision of existing guidelines on current best practice; the RCOG is in the process of initiating a guideline review project which will consider the evidence generated since the first publication in 2003.
	A GBS online learning package was produced in collaboration with the user groupGroup B Strep Support (GBSS)and others, which was launched in 2006. The learning package is based on RCOG guidelines and provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary interactive teaching resource which is freely available to all health care professionals at:
	www.whsl.org.uk/gbs
	Healthcare professionals are encouraged to follow the RCOG's risk factor based guideline to reduce the incidence of GBS infection in the first week of life.
	Patient information on GBS is available from NHS Direct Online and in the NHS Pregnancy Book (updated in 2006) which is distributed free to all pregnant women. The RCOG has also produced patient information.
	We are not aware of any representations being received from the Health Protection Agency on the use of the enriched culture medium testing method for detecting Group B Strep in late pregnancy.

Screening: East of England

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much additional funding he plans to provide to Eastern Area to fund preventative screening in each of the next three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Sufficient funding will be made available at the national level to deliver our policy commitments on screening. Detailed analytical work is currently under way to develop the plans, including costs. Funding available for different parts of the country will depend on local decisions about the use of primary care trust (PCT) allocations, and national decisions on the use of central budgets. The Department has yet to take decisions on PCT allocations and central budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11, and these decisions will reflect the developing plans on preventative screening.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Abu Dhabi: Overseas Companies

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates has had with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi on behalf of UK registered companies on disputes over monies owed since 2004.

Kim Howells: Our embassy in Abu Dhabi has had no discussions with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi on behalf of UK registered companies on money disputes since 2004.

Colombia: Overseas Aid

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid was provided by the UK to Colombia in each of the last five years; and what proportion of that aid was classed as military assistance in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: As the information requested by my hon. Friend will take time to collate, I will write to him once I have the details and arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental ICT

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) male and  (b) female members of staff in his Department were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Information on the gender of those issued with personal digital assistants is not held centrally and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Detainees: Human Rights

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will discuss with Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Council of Europe, the Secretary-General's proposal on secret detention and detainee transfers, when he meets him on February.

Kim Howells: The Human Rights Commissioner will meet my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, who leads on Human Rights issues. We considered carefully the recommendations made by the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe when they were issued in June 2006. However, as stated in my written reply to the hon. Member on 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 245W, the Government believe that domestic legislation and international legal instruments already exist to deal satisfactorily with the concerns he has raised. We stand by this statement and believe that there is no need to create new mechanisms such as the Secretary-General proposes. I wrote to the Secretary-General on 23 January 2007 outlining the Government's position in detail.
	The Government believe that the best long-term protection against terrorism lies in the defence of our freedoms and values. We remain fully committed to our obligations under international human rights law. We do not render people in breach of our legal obligations and we do not agree with secret detention. The Government oppose any form of deprivation of liberty that amounts to placing a detained person outside the protection of the law.

India: Christianity

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage the European Commission to raise the issue of recent violence against Christians in Orissa state at the next round of the EU-India human rights dialogue.

Kim Howells: Discussions are underway to confirm the date for the next round of the ad hoc EU-India human rights dialogue, following the EU-India summit on 30 November 2007. The UK and EU colleagues will continue to use this and other opportunities to raise human rights concerns with the appropriate Indian authorities.

Natural Resources: Armed Conflict

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made in multilateral efforts to agree a common and legal definition of conflict resources; what role the Government are playing in this process; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Government's policy is to support the Commission for Africa Report recommendations to agree a United Nations endorsed definition of conflict resources; and what progress has been made on the creation of a permanent expert panel within the UN to monitor the links between natural resource extraction and violent conflict and the implementation of sanctions.

Kim Howells: While we recognise the strong arguments for an agreed definition of conflict resources, we assess that a definition would not substantially help to address the links between conflict and natural resources. A UN Security Council debate on conflict and natural resources in June 2007 demonstrated the issue's sensitivity for many countries: seeking agreement on a definition in the UN would, in our judgment, prove extremely slow and without guarantee of success.
	We are working with other like-minded Governments to develop a more comprehensive strategy to tackle links between natural resources and conflict. This could involve the inclusion of natural resource issues in the mandates of peacekeeping missions; the creation of a permanent centre of expertise within the UN system; and strengthening the role of the Peacebuilding Commission. We will seek a UN Secretary-General's report to assess these options and raise the profile of the issue, and we continue to work cross-Whitehall and with external stakeholders on this matter.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka on its decision to withdraw from the ceasefire agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government's position on the abrogation of the 2002 ceasefire agreement by the Sri Lankan Government is clear. Most recently, during a debate in the House on Sri Lanka on 17 January, I called on the Sri Lankan Government to deliver on their commitment to urgently produce a just political solution which satisfies the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankans ( Official Report, columns 1183-88).
	In his statement of 4 January, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, expressed the Government's view that there can be no military solution to the Sri Lankan conflict and called on the political parties in Sri Lanka to work together for peace.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Service: Standards

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to put the core principles of the civil service in statute.

Gillian Merron: As set out in the Governance of Britain Green Paper, the Government are committed to taking forward legislation to enshrine the core principles and values of the civil service in law. The legislation will form part of the Constitutional Renewal Bill and will be published in draft for consultation soon.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equal Pay: Women's National Commission

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether an equal pay audit has been conducted by the Women's National Commission.

Barbara Follett: No equal pay audit for the Women's National Commission as a separate entity has been conducted, but its staff would be included in any assessment of the commission's funding sponsor, the Government Equalities Office, previously known as the Women and Equality Unit. I refer the hon. Lady to my answer to PQ 170572 regarding whether an equal pay audit has been conducted for the Women and Equality Unit, and to my answer to PQ 171377 regarding what assessment has been made of the pay gap between male and female staff in the Government Equalities Office. Publishing separate figures relating to the Women's National Commission, which is a small body, may risk identifying individuals.

Rape Crisis Centres

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many rape crisis centres there were in each year since 1980.

Barbara Follett: No published data have been identified which would permit a year on year account of the number of rape crisis centres in England and Wales since 1980.
	According to the website of Rape Crisis England and Wales, there are currently 38 affiliated members in England and Wales. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations reports that in 1985 there were 84 rape crisis centres in England and Wales, and that this number reduced to 50 in 1990. Independent research by the End Violence Against Women coalition, and reported in Map of Gaps, found that there are 42 groups associated with Rape Crisis England and Wales, 18 less than there were in 1996.

Rape Crisis Centres

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government spent on support for rape crisis centres in each year since 1980.

Barbara Follett: Total grants from the Victims Fund, administered by the Ministry of Justice, to rape crisis centres, in 2007-08 came to 484,562. In addition, Rape Crisis England and Wales received 75,000 in Home Office funding.
	For 2006-07 total grants from the Victims Fund to rape crisis centres, including Rape Crisis England and Wales (also referred to as Rape Crisis Co-ordination Group) were 313,538; for 2005-06 473,717 and for 2004-05 199,270.
	In both 2007-08 and 2006-07 the Home Office provided 360,000 in funding for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors based in rape crisis centres.
	The Rape Crisis Federation, the then umbrella body for rape crisis centres, received central government funding in 2002-03 of 432,000 and in 2001-02 of 406,000. Approximately 500,000 in funding was provided to two rape crisis centres, Southampton and South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre, over the period 2000-02.
	There is no record of funding prior to this.
	The Government are committed to supporting voluntary and community sector organisations. Over 80 per cent. of voluntary and community organisations that receive funding are supported by local funders and the Victims Fund was not established to substitute for this.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Consultants

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contracts his Department has with external consultants; what the total value, including all VAT and disbursements, of these contracts is for the current financial year; how long each contract lasts; and what the forecast total value is of each contract.

Douglas Alexander: The information requested could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	DFID contracts external consultants with technical expertise to deliver development projects and programmes around the world. Consultants undertake humanitarian relief operations, respond to requests from partner governments for advice on complex economic and administrative reforms, and help improve health and education services, all with the objective of reducing poverty and improving the lives of people in developing countries.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Shahid Malik: Information on products procured with departmental or Government branding is not held centrally. Publications and other branded products are produced as an integral part of ongoing policy and research, development programme implementation, training, internal communication and work to raise public awareness of international development. It is not possible to answer this question without incurring disproportionate costs.
	DFID has no agencies.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many posters or displays there are in the offices of his Department and its agencies displaying the names and photographs of Ministers; and what the cost has been of producing such posters or displays in the last five years.

Shahid Malik: In the UK offices of DFID there is one display of named photographs of former Secretaries of State for International Development in the Palace street offices. This has cost 992 in the last five years. There is no equivalent display in our other UK office, Abercrombie House. There have been no posters produced for use in offices with ministerial names and photographs during this period.
	DFID currently has staff in 68 overseas offices. It would incur disproportionate costs to ascertain whether any expense had been incurred during the last five years in producing displays or posters with named photographs of Ministers.
	DFID has no agencies.

Developing Countries: Health

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what evaluation the Government have commissioned of the potential contribution of health links to the development of best practice.

Shahid Malik: No evaluation has yet been commissioned by the Department for International Development or the Department of Health on this topic. We anticipate carrying out an evaluation within the next three months.
	There are many positives to be taken from links and twinning, but also concerns about overall effectiveness in some countries. The Crisp report has helpfully identified some areas for the UK to support developing countries in capacity strengthening. The Inter-Ministerial Group on Global Health will shortly issue the Government's response to Lord Crisp's report which will outline how the recommendations will be taken forward.

Export Credits Guarantee Department: Finance

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department contributed to the Export Credits Guarantee Department in 2005-06 to compensate it for claims abandoned in 2005-06.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 DFID paid 643,000 to the Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) in 2005-06. These payments represent amounts due from countries receiving debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.
	Countries qualify for debt relief under the HIPC Initiative in two stages: first, they qualify for interim relief from debt service payments due. Later, when countries complete the Initiative, they receive irrevocable debt cancellation.
	Debts owed to official creditors, such as ECGD, are dealt with by the Paris Club. ECGD implements decisions taken at the Paris Club, providing debt relief at the levels agreed. In 2005-06, ECGD provided over 1.5 billion of debt relief. DFID meets the costs of additional relief over and above what has been agreed by the Paris Club so that HIPCs receive 100 per cent. debt relief. It is UK policy to provide 100 per cent. debt relief to HIPCs, from the time countries first qualify for the Initiative.

Kenya: Elections

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 600,000 spending allocated to the monitoring of the recent election in Kenya.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 DFID contributed 600,000 to a pooled fund to support the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Elections Assistance programme. The total budget was $12 million. Many other donors supported this programme, including the USA who led the donor group.
	DFID's judgment is that some of the assistance, such as support to the media centre and to domestic observers, has enabled greater transparency around the flawed tallying processes than might otherwise have been the case. The voting process itself was also supported by voter education; work with the media, hate-speech monitoring and flexible technical assistance. However, subsequent irregularities have highlighted institutional weaknesses that were tested by such a close contest.
	With international partners we will look at lessons that have emerged, in particular how we can further strengthen the institutions that can underpin stable democracy in Kenya.

Kenya: Financial Institutions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1079W, on Kenya: financial institutions, what direct assistance his Department is giving to assist existing microfinance businesses in Kenya where the owners need immediate help.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 21 January 2008
	DFID is providing direct assistance to the multi-donor Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Trust, which is working in partnership with the Kenya Association of Microfinance Institutions (AMFI) on assisting existing microfinance businesses in Kenya which need urgent help. FSD is providing technical assistance to AMFI, to assess and design emergency programmes and to secure financial resources for these. DFID has allocated 11.3 million to the FSD Trust, with other donors making up the total budget of 19 million.
	AMFI is leading the industry response to the crisis, looking at three areas of potential support: (i) micro-finance institutions (MFIs) using their strong grassroots involvement in affected communities to build peace and reconciliation between people and mitigate ethnic tensions, (ii) an emergency liquidity facility to support MFIs facing liquidity constraints as a result of the crisis, and (iii) cash transfer schemes targeting people with micro-enterprises who have suffered catastrophic losses, to provide a base from which to rebuild their livelihoods.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what meetings  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials have held with (i) directors and (ii) senior executives of (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2001; what the (1) location and (2) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

Child Support Agency

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many active cases the Child Support Agency has.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 23 January 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many active cases the Child Support Agency has.
	The information requested can be obtained from Table 1 of the September 2007 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics which is available in the House of Commons library or via the internet at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_ support/csa_quarterly_sep07.asp
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of unrecovered child maintenance payments in each constituency in the UK,  (b) the value of those payments and  (c) the value of payments expected to be unrecovered.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	The table has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 23 January 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of unrecovered child maintenance payments in each constituency in the UK  (b) the value of those payments and  (c) how much is expected to be unrecovered in each case.
	The Agency does not hold information in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the attached table which sets out the total amount of debt owed by non-resident parents in cases processed on the new system (CS2). The Agency is not able to estimate debt on old rules cases processed on the old system (CSCS) at Parliamentary Constituency level. Although the Agency does estimate the collectability of debt, this estimate is based on past performance and on an Agency wide sample exercise which does not take account of geographic or regional variation. Therefore the Agency is not able to provide a geographic analysis of the collectability of debt.
	This debt is owed by non-resident parents as a result of their failure to meet their responsibilities to their children. Debt recovery is very much dependent on the willingness of non-resident parents to co-operate with the Agency. Some non-resident parents do their utmost to avoid their responsibilities, for example by moving house or changing jobs whenever the Agency tries to collect maintenance.
	The Agency is working hard to collect more maintenance arrears and benefit more children. Measures introduced under the Agency's Operational Improvement Plan, such as enabling credit and debit card payments and employing the services of external debt collection agencies are helping the Agency in this aim.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Christmas

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on  (a) Christmas cards and  (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 December 2007,  Official  Report, column 933W.

Departmental E-mail

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to reduce the number of hard copies of e-mails printed by officials in his Department.

Anne McGuire: The Department takes the volume of its printing seriously and is introducing plans in 2008 to reduce the cost and environmental impact of printing within the Department. Additionally, an awareness campaign will remind staff of their responsibilities and to only print documents, including hardcopies of e-mails, if absolutely necessary.

Departmental Marketing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many branded plastic bags his Department has purchased in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Anne McGuire: Information that is recorded shows that in the last 12 months, the Department purchased some 632,490 branded plastic bags at a cost of 22,667.62. The vast majority of these were purchased by the Health and Safety Executive for use in national campaigns. To comply with DWP's Sustainable Development policy and cross government targets to reduce waste and make procurement more sustainable, all orders placed since September 2007 have been for biodegradable plastic bags.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies procure products featuring relevant branding when communicating with its customers and stakeholders. The information requested can only be gathered at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the standard terms and conditions of purchase used by his Department in the procurement of goods and services from the private sector prohibit the assignment of debt.

Anne McGuire: The standard terms and conditions of purchase used by my Department in the procurement of goods and services from the private sector do not prohibit the assignment of debt.
	DWP standard terms and conditions state:
	The Contractor shall not assign, sub-contract, or in any other way dispose of the Contract or any part of it without prior Approval
	Approval and Approvedrefer to the written consent of the Authority's Representative.
	This is in line with the standard terms and conditions issued by Office of Government Commerce for use across the public sector.

Performance Appraisal

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what intervals staff in his Department are subject to appraisals; how long his Department's probationary period for new staff is; and what percentage of staff did not have their employment continued at the end of their probationary period in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: Staff in DWP are subject to formal appraisal at six and 12 monthly intervals. They receive ongoing feedback on their performance throughout the year.
	The probationary period for new employees is normally six months. Exceptionally the probationary period can be extended by up to three months.
	In the last 12 months the percentage of newly recruited staff who did not have their employment continued at the end of their probation was 2.31 per cent.

Personal Accounts

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the return an individual saving in a personal account would receive with  (a) a full saving record,  (b) 10 years saving,  (c) 20 years saving,  (d) 30 years saving and  (e) 40 years saving as (i) a percentage of salary and (ii) weekly cash value in retirement if they had an average salary over the period of (A) 10,000, (B) 11,000, (C) 12,000, (D) 13,000, (E) 14,000, (F) 15,000, (G) 16,000, (H) 17,000, (I) 18,000, (J) 19,000, (K) 20,000, (L) 21,000, (M) 22,000, (N) 23,000, (O) 24,000, (P) 25,000, (Q) 26,000, (R) 27,000, (S) 28,000, (T) 29,000, (U) 30,000, (V) 31,000, (W) 32,000 and (X) 33,000.

Mike O'Brien: As part of its research and analysis programme over the last few years, the Department has published several analyses regarding the impacts of saving under the reformed pension system. This includes Financial incentives to save for retirement, the Pensions BillImpact Assessment, and the Gender Impact Assessment of Pension Reform.

Personal Accounts: Information Services

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the funding that will be made available for advice and information on personal accounts in each year from now until 2050.

Mike O'Brien: We envisage that scheme information costs will be borne by membership charges and will be a matter for the trustees.
	The question of what additional information will be given to all those auto-enrolled, whether into personal accounts or another pension scheme, is one which we will address in the years leading up to the reforms. We will do this in partnership with organisations which already provide information on pensions, bodies such as The Pensions Advisory Service, and pension providers, as well as organisations representing consumers.
	We will be building on the considerable provision that already exists, and the funding implications will emerge from those discussions. The Thoresen Review, and the Government action plan on financial capability will also assess the need to add to the services on offer.

Poverty

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what baseline data his Department uses to measure material deprivation;
	(2)  what proportion of children in  (a) workless households,  (b) households where one parent is working,  (c) households where both parents are working and  (d) each region were living in material poverty in each quarter in the last 10 years for which records are held.

Caroline Flint: Material deprivation is one of the three indicators for measuring child poverty. The other two measures are absolute low income, which includes households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the median income held constant in real terms from a 1998-99 baseline, and relative low income, which includes households with incomes below 60 per cent. contemporary median income. The material deprivation indicator includes households with incomes below 70 per cent. of the median and a material deprivation score of 25 or more.
	Information on the base lining of material deprivation can be found in 'PSA Delivery Agreement 9: Halve the number of children in poverty by 2010-11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020'; Page 24, available on the HM Treasury website.
	Data on material deprivation are collated annually by the Family Resources Survey and are only available from 2004-05 onwards. Our most recent data are for 2005-06. In 2004-05, 2.2 million children in the UK were defined as poor using this combined indicator, while in 2005-06, the figure was 2.1 million children.
	The proportion of children in material deprivation by economic status of household is shown in the following table. A breakdown by region is not currently available because this requires three years' Family Resources Survey data for robust statistics.
	
		
			  Proportion of children in material deprivation, by economic status of household 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 All adults in work 5 4 
			 At least one adult in work, but not all 16 18 
			 Workless households 60 57 
			 All households 17 16 
			  Notes: 1. Some households in the Family Resources Survey may contain more than two adults, for example a couple with children may also live with one or more of the children's grandparents. 2. Within households, pensioners are excluded from the classifications if they are not working, and are included if they are working. For those households where children live only with pensioners, the status of all adults is included in the analysis. 3. The analysis includes households where someone other than the parent may be in work. 4. Data for the Family Resources Survey are only collated annually and therefore a quarterly breakdown is not available.  Source:  Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	The available material deprivation figures and details of the methodology can be found in 'PSA Delivery Agreement 9: Halve the number of children in poverty by 2010-11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020', available on the HM Treasury website.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged  (a) 25 to 34 and  (b) under 25 were in receipt of (i) incapacity benefit, (ii) jobseekers allowance, (iii) lone parent benefit, (iv) carers' allowance and (v) any other out of work benefit in (A) each English region, (B) Wales, (C) Scotland and (D) Northern Ireland in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what percentage this represented of the population of each area.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 15 January 2008
	 The available information is in the following tables. Information for Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Benefit claimants under 25 years of age by country and English regions: May 2007 
			   All cases  Jobseekers  Incapacity benefits  Lone parent  Carer  Others 
			  All GB   
			 Case load 627,070 243,700 165,740 166,050 16,000 35,590 
			 Percentage of population 9.0 3.5 2.4 2.4 0.2 0.5 
			
			  North East   
			 Case load 38,860 15,780 10,260 10,220 910 1,700 
			 Percentage of population 12.1 4.9 3.2 3.2 0.3 0.5 
			
			  North West   
			 Case load 88,670 34,530 23,720 23,370 2,590 4,470 
			 Percentage of population 10.4 4.1 2.8 2.8 0.3 0.5 
			
			  Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Case load 61,960 25,380 14,720 16,630 1,820 3,420 
			 Percentage of population 9.2 3.8 2.2 2.5 0.3 0.5 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Case load 43,200 17,750 10,680 11,390 1,080 2,300 
			 Percentage of population 8.1 3.3 2.0 2.1 0.2 0.4 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Caseload 68,020 29,960 15,630 17,650 1,740 3,050 
			 Percentage of population 10.5 4.6 2.4 2.7 0.3 0.5 
			
			  East of England   
			 Case load 44,160 16,980 11,890 11,720 940 2,620 
			 Percentage of population 7.2 2.8 1.9 1.9 0.2 0.4 
			
			  London   
			 Case load 87,460 35,540 17,900 24,160 2,090 7,770 
			 Percentage of population 9.8 4.0 2.0 2.7 0.2 0.9 
			
			  South East   
			 Case load 57,250 19,050 16,870 16,730 1,230 3,380 
			 Percentage of population 6.2 2.1 1.8 1.8 0.1 0.4 
			
			  South West   
			 Case load 39,440 11,910 13,930 10,190n 870 2,550 
			 Percentage of population 6.8 2.1 2.4 1.8 0.1 0.4 
			
			  Wales   
			 Case load 38,060 13,750 11,620 9,810 1,100 1,780 
			 Percentage of population 10.6 3.8 3.2 2.7 0.3 0.5 
			
			  Scotland   
			 Case load 59,450 23,060 18,440 14,140 1,560 2,240 
			 Percentage of population 9.9 3.8 3.1 2.3 0.3 0.4 
			
			  Living abroad or unknown   
			 Case load 540 20 90 30 80 330 
			 Percentage of population n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Benefit claimants aged 25 to 34 by country and English regions: May 2007 
			   All cases  Jobseekers  Incapacity benefits  Lone parent  Carer  Others 
			  All   
			 Case load 881,450 199,290 338,720 282,770 49,750 10,920 
			 Percentage of population 11.5 2.6 4.4 3.7 0.6 0.1 
			
			  North East   
			 Case load 47,730 11,400 19,270 13,870 2,620 570 
			 Percentage of population 16.0 3.8 6.5 4.7 0.9 0.2 
			
			  North West   
			 Case load 120,950 26,620 49,430 36,490 6,960 1,460 
			 Percentage of population 14.5 3.2 5.9 4.4 0.8 0.2 
			
			  Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Case load 80,670 20,410 29,730 24,060 5,490 980 
			 Percentage of population 12.7 3.2 4.7 3.8 0.9 0.2 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Case load 57,470 13,520 22,040 17,490 3,890 530 
			 Percentage of population 11.0 2.6 4.2 3.3 0.7 0.1 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Case load 90,000 24,780 30,620 27,850 5,770 980 
			 Percentage of population 13.8 3.8 4.7 4.3 0.9 0.2 
			
			  East of England   
			 Case load 63,200 13,430 23,500 21 ,460 4,100 720 
			 Percentage of population 9.1 1.9 3.4 3.1 0.6 0.1 
			
			  London   
			 Case load 144,010 35,830 42,630 57,610 5,400 2,540 
			 Percentage of population 9.8 2.4 2.9 3.9 0.4 0.2 
			
			  South East   
			 Case load 82,680 15,750 32,290 28,810 4,970 860 
			 Percentage of population 8.1 1.5 3.2 2.8 0.5 0.1 
			
			  South West   
			 Case load 57,500 9,460 27,320 16,930 3,280 520 
			 Percentage of population 10.0 1.6 4.7 2.9 0.6 0.1 
			
			  Wales   
			 Case load 50,560 9,420 23,040 14,360 3,150 590 
			 Percentage of population 15.2 2.8 6.9 4.3 0.9 0.2 
			
			  Scotland   
			 Case load 86,140 18,630 38,450 23,840 4,070 1,150 
			 Percentage of population 13.7 3.0 6.1 3.8 0.6 0.2 
			
			  Living abroad or unknown   
			 Case load 540 30 400 30 60 10 
			 Percentage of Population n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not available.  Notes: 1. Case loads are rounded to the nearest 10 and shown in thousands; percentages to one decimal place. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. The total number of people aged 16 to 24, and 25 to 34 in each region have been used to calculate percentages of the population. 3. Statistical groups are hierarchical as follows: 'Jobseekers' are recipients of jobseeker's allowance. 'Incapacity benefits' refer to recipients of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. 'Lone parents' are single recipients of income support with a child under 16. 'Carers' are recipients of carer's allowance (see note 4). 'Others on income related benefit' are other recipients of income support (including income support disability premium) or pension credit. 4. Figures for carers allowance include those cases with entitlement but where payment is currently suspended (for example, because of an extended stay in hospital or an overlapping benefit). 5. The key out-of-work benefits are jobseeker's allowance, incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, and income support for lone parents. They do not include carers allowance or income support paid to carers. 6. Jobseekers figures are from benefit records and may differ from those published by ONS.  Source: Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data; population figures are mid-year estimates for 2006 as supplied by ONS

Social Security Benefits: Employment

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government has spent on developing the Better Off Calculation system; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 23 January 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how much the Government has spent developing the Better Off Calculation system. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Better Off Calculator system was developed from an existing stand alone system. The initial software development costs were 1.77 million. Several developments have taken place since. Over the last two financial years we have spent 590,000 (2006-07) and 813,000 (2007-08) in maintaining and enhancing the system.
	I hope this is helpful.

Social Security Benefits: Forms

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the maximum number of forms an applicant for each benefit administered by his Department must complete is  (a) between initially applying and receipt of benefit and  (b) each year thereafter.

James Plaskitt: For most people claiming most benefits, only one form is required.
	If, however, they claim more than one benefit or their circumstances change then an individual will need to fill more forms. In such cases there is no absolute maximum. The number of forms will depend on a claimant's circumstances.
	The Department and its Agencies administer more than 20 different benefits and local authorities administer other benefits on the Department's behalf. All these benefits are designed to meet the needs of a particular section of the population, so different amounts of information are needed in order for decisions on entitlement to be made.
	For all our benefits, we try and keep the amount of information required to the minimum that allows for the proper administration of the benefit and ensures benefit is paid to those who are entitled to it.
	We continue to reduce complexity wherever possible. For example, since 2005, those applying for pension credit by telephone have been able to get council tax benefit and housing benefit, using a shortened claim form completed by the Pension Service, and sent to the claimant to sign and return to their local authority. We have already announced plans to streamline this service even further, removing the need for the pensioner to take any further action. This will allow pensioners to access up to four benefits with one phone call.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 162142, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November 2007, on national insurance numbers.

James Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 804W.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 162140, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November 2007, on Bulgarian and Romanian citizens.

James Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 805W.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 162361, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November 2007, on jobseeker's allowance claimants.

James Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 6 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1506W.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 162689, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November 2007, on EU A8 nationals and national insurance numbers.

James Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 936W.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer 
	(1)  question 162687, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November, on national insurance numbers;
	(2)  question 162686, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November, on national insurance numbers;
	(3)  question 162688, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November, on national insurance numbers.

James Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member's questions on 9 January 2008,  Official Report, column 573W.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer question 162347, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November, on A8 nationals.

James Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 6 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1505W.

TREASURY

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid by his Department to Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries in each financial year since 2000; which contracts were awarded by his Department to Capita Group plc in each year from 2000-01 to the most recent available date; what the cost was of each contract; what penalties for default were imposed in contract provisions; what the length was of each contract; whether the contract was advertised; how many companies applied for the contract; how many were short-listed; what criteria were used for choosing a company; what provision was made for renewal without re-tender in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The total amount paid to Capita Group plc each year from 2002-03 is as follows:
	
		
			  Capita Group plc 
			   Amount () 
			 2002-03 356,658 
			 2003-04 190,499 
			 2004-05 183,425 
			 2005-06 176,773 
			 2006-07 284,418 
		
	
	The Treasury has no recorded spend with any subsidiaries of Capita Group plc between 2002-032006-07.
	Details of spend before 2002-03 and details of the contracts awarded; the cost of each contract; penalties for default; the length of each contract; if the contract was advertised; the number of companies that applied for the contract; the number of companies short listed; the selection and evaluation criteria; and provisions for renewal can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Census

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  out of which departmental budget the cost of the 2011 census will be met;
	(2)  what work the Office of National Statistics has done on assessing the likelihood of people completing a  (a) four page and  (b) three page census form;
	(3)  whether a question on carers will be included in the 2011 census;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of adding an extra page to the 2011 census form.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 January 2008:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking a) out of which Departmental budget the cost of the 2011 Census will be met, b) what estimate has been made of the cost of adding an extra page to the 2011 Census form, c) whether a question on carers will be included in the 2011 Census, and d) what work the Office for National Statistics has done on assessing whether or not people will be less inclined to complete a four page Census rather than a three page Census form. (180520, 180522, 180521, 180523).
	I will take this opportunity to answer all the questions together.
	Funding for the 2011 Census is provided to ONS by Parliament through the Treasury under the terms of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
	Our current funding for the 2011 Census allows for 3 pages of questions per person. We are at present investigating the potential for a fourth page which would allow for the inclusion of more questions. The cost of an adding a fourth page of questions per person has been estimated at 25m.
	The value of the information on carers provided by the 2001 Census is well recognised. However, such a question is competing for space on the questionnaire with a number of other questions such as second residence, citizenship, year of entry to the UK, qualifications, industry, end language. Currently ONS is only proposing to include a question on carers if there are 4 pages of questions.
	ONS has extensively reviewed and considered the potential impact on response rates of a four page per person census questionnaire for 2011. The 2011 Census Questionnaire Design Team carried out a postal test in April 2007 covering 10,400 households with half of the sample receiving a questionnaire with 3 pages of questions per person and the other half receiving a questionnaire with 4 pages of questions per person. There was no evidence that-the length of a self-completion questionnaire had a significant effect on response rates. However, it should be noted that the postal test was voluntary.
	Research into international census experiences was inconclusive on the effect of length of questionnaire but has shown that other factors, including ineffective design and layout, question clarity, and controversial topics have more of an impact on response rates.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of maintaining the child benefit database in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The costs of running and maintaining the child benefit IT system, including charges for system infrastructure, over the last five years have been:
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 6.5 
			 2004-05 5.1 
			 2005-06 3.7 
			 2006-07 6.2 
			 2007-08 (up to and including October 2007) 5.1

Diabetes: Death

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were which mentioned diabetes on the death certificate in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) age cohort and  (b) primary care trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 23 January 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were which mentioned diabetes on the death certificate in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) age cohort and  (b) primary care trust area. I am replying in her absence. (180519)
	The tables, which have been placed in the House of Commons Library, provide the number of deaths where diabetes was mentioned on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributing factor, in  (a) England by five-year age group, and  (b) each primary care organisation in England, from 1997 to 2006 (the latest year available).

Energy: Conservation

Elliot Morley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of including double-glazed units meeting new part L building standards in the list of energy-saving products that qualify for reduced VAT; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The availability of VAT reduced rates is governed by the European VAT agreements signed by successive governments. We are making the case at EU level for more widespread application of reduced VAT rates to energy-saving materials and energy efficient products.

Energy: Prices

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met representatives of Ofgem to discuss energy prices.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor met with representatives of Ofgem on 15 January. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Financial Markets

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect of developments in US financial markets on the economy of the United Kingdom over the next 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: The Government's latest assessment of UK economic prospects over the next 12 months, including the impact of the disruption in global financial markets, was set out in Annex A of the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review (Cm 7227). The Government will update their forecasts, as normal, in the Budget.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter of 4 December 2007 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Rodney Perrin.

Jane Kennedy: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 January.

Non-Domestic Rates: Agriculture

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to  (a) reinstate and  (b) extend the scope of the agricultural buildings allowance;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to introduce tax relief for agricultural infrastructure required to comply with the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones regulations.

Jane Kennedy: Agricultural buildings allowances (ABAs) were introduced in 1945 to encourage post-war reconstruction. They are now a poorly focused subsidy, selectively available on a disparate range of assets, including some that typically appreciate in value. ABAs have long been recognised as a significant distortion in commercial property investment. These issues are compounded by the compliance burden imposed by their complicated rules.
	The phased withdrawal of ABAs is part of a package of measures which also saw the reduction of the main rate of corporation tax and the basic rate of income tax and the introduction of a 50,000 annual investment allowance (AIA), allowing 95 per cent. of businesses to write off all their expenditure on plant and machinery in the year in which it is made.
	Slurry tanks used for temporary storage in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones are eligible for capital allowances and businesses will therefore be able to benefit from the AIA when investing in this infrastructure.

Pay

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of employees in the UK with a salary of more than 40,000.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 January 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of employees in the UK with a salary of more that 40,000. (180980)
	Annual levels of earnings can be estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates who have been in the job for more than one year. I attach a table showing an estimate for 2007 of the percentage of UK employees with a salary of more than 40,000 per year.
	ASHE is carried out in April each year and is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. However, ASHE methodology cannot be used to provide estimates of the numbers of employees whose salary is more than a specific amount, but can be used to provide estimates of proportions of employees in that category.
	
		
			  Proportion of UK employees earning more than 40,000 in 2007( 1) 
			   Percentage 
			 All employees 12 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than one year.  Source:  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Pregnant Women: Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his predecessor's statement on 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 308, if he will place in the Library evidence that nutrition for pregnant mothers is most important in the last months of pregnancy.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 18 December 2007
	 There is a wide range of evidence that nutrition for pregnant mothers is important throughout pregnancy. The importance of maternal health during pregnancy was recognised by the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Nursing, in HM Treasury's 14 November 2007 Press Notice on the Health in Pregnancy Grant, on the HM Treasury website.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recruitment process was used to select Kieran Poynter to head the review of security processes and procedures for data handling in HM Revenue and Customs announced on 20 November 2007.

Jane Kennedy: Kieran Poynter was appointed by the Chancellor to carry out the investigation into data handling in HM Revenue and Customs.

Taxation: Domicil

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days in each year people of non-domiciled tax status may spend in the UK without altering their status; and what arrangements his Department has to monitor the time such individuals spend in the UK.

Jane Kennedy: Domicile status is a general law concept which is distinct from nationality or residence. It is unaffected by the number of days an individual spends in the UK in a year.

Taxation: Energy

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on a proposed windfall tax on energy suppliers.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury receives numerous representations on a range of tax issues.

TNT

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by  (a) his Department and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs on services provided by TNT in each month since January 2005.

Jane Kennedy: The amounts spent on services provided by TNT by HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs for each month since January 2005 are set out as follows.
	
		
			   HM Treasury  HMRC( 1) 
			 January 2005 666.73 591,400.82 
			 February 2005 570.45 296,006.31 
			 March 2005 803.92 1,103,930.22 
			 April 2005 190.82 869,534.32 
			 May 2005 158.93 470,445.18 
			 June 2005 156.02 698,606.48 
			 July 2005 193.01 561,082.66 
			 August 2005 318.33 618,001.24 
			 September 2005 218.17 608,344.21 
			 October 2005 225.54 790,589.23 
			 November 2005 149.84 571,399.99 
			 December 2005 22,399.09 578,974.05 
			 January 2006 2,277.00 609,924.68 
			 February 2006 2,262.94 726,353.04 
			 March 2006 3,925.79 615,744.63 
			 April 2006 1,923.28 462,620.91 
			 May 2006 154.15 4,190.90 
			 June 2006 4,228.04 797,133.16 
			 July 2006 2,550.94 709,484.21 
			 August 2006 2,096.60 918,641.07 
			 September 2006 199.55 470,307.42 
			 October 2006 2,268.33 956,435.64 
			 November 2006 16,344.87 786,950.62 
			 December 2006 9,594.54 836,653.91 
			 January 2007 4,128.98 1,323,749.60 
			 February 2007 3,282.35 357,960.92 
			 March 2007 8,451.15 1,187,424.02 
			 April 2007 26.14 316,320.48 
			 May 2007 1,980.85 970,778.96 
			 June 2007 2,192.56 846,952.19 
			 July 2007 3,264.01 1,125,477.02 
			 August 2007 1,791.37 362,214.19 
			 September 2007 2,394.28 617,046.45 
			 October 2007 1,954.50 974,780.24 
			 November 2007 5,069.47 954,067.67 
			 (1) Figures given for HMRC between January 2005 and April 2006 are a combination of the former Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise accountancy systems.

Valuation Office: Data Protection

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what physical or electronic mechanisms the Valuation Office Agency uses to transfer data between  (a) its regional offices and  (b) government departments and agencies.

Jane Kennedy: The VGA uses a variety of mechanisms and channels to transfer data within the organisation and to its clients, including paper, VOA network applications, VOA intranet, internet file transfer sites, e-mail, fax, and CD/DVD dependent on the protective classification required.

Valuation Office: Digital Technology

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's guidance note Best Practice in the Use of Digital Photography.

Jane Kennedy: The Agency's best practice guide in the use of digital photography is internal technical instructions on use of the Agency's digital photography application and how, when and where to store digital photographs on the Agency's central database to ensure overall system performance is not affected. It is not appropriate to place these documents in the Library.

Valuation Office: Digital Technology

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many photographs of non-domestic properties are stored in the Valuation Office Agency's digital photography application.

Jane Kennedy: As at 9 January 2008, the Valuation Office Agency held 1,096,931 digital photographs relating to non-domestic properties in the 2005 Valuation List. This figure includes photographs that show more than one property, or a locality rather than a particular building.

Valuation Office: Information Officers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the number of communications staff included as working for the Valuation Office Agency in the Central Office of Information's White Book differs from the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 241W, on Valuation Office Agency.

Jane Kennedy: The question asked by the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) referred to number of press officers employed by the Valuation Office Agency rather than number of communications staff.
	Staff listed in the White Book are those involved in the full range of communications activities, both internal and external. Nine of those listed are involved in press office work, (averaging around 10 per cent. of their time) which together with a media relations manager, amounts to two full-time equivalent people with press officer responsibilities.

VAT: Fixed Penalties

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) people and  (b) businesses had to pay penalties as a result of filing VAT returns one day late after the bank holiday Monday on 7 May 2007.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs do not issue penalties for the late filing of VAT returns. A penalty is issued only where a return is not paid in full by the due date. A total of 27,067 penalties were issued in May 2007 for late payment of VAT. Information on the penalties issued for payments received on a particular day in May 2007 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2007,  Official Report, column 409W, on welfare tax credits, for what reason some tax credit overpayments resulting from official error have not been remitted.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) on 25 October 2007,  Official Re port, column 585W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) total and  (b) average value is of consolatory payments made since April 2003 to tax credits claimants who have appealed against a decision of the HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Kennedy: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's fact sheet, 'Complaints and Putting Things Right', which is available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk
	For the number and value of compensation payments made in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 427W to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main). The number and value of compensation payments made in 2006-07 and from April to December 2007 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Value ( million)  Number 
			 2006-07 0.658 7,893 
			 2007-08 (to December) 0.324 7,456 
		
	
	The average payment made over the period April 2003 to the end of December 2007 was around 60.00.
	Separate details of consolatory payments made to customers who have appealed against a decision of the Department are not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Complaints

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set for the time taken to respond to complaints about tax credits sent to  (a) the Tax Credit Office and  (b) Treasury Ministers.

Jane Kennedy: It is HM Revenue and Customs' aim to reply to the majority of letters within three weeks.

Welfare Tax Credits: Hampshire

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take-up rate for tax credits was in each constituency in  (a) Hampshire,  (b) Southampton and  (c) Portsmouth in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: Take-up rate estimates are not available at constituency level.
	However, estimates of child and working tax credit take-up rates for 2003-04 and 2004-05, which are the latest available estimates, are published on the HMRC website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm
	Take-up rates for working families with children at country and regional level are shown in table 9.

JUSTICE

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid by his Department and its predecessor to Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries in each financial year since 2000; which contracts were awarded by his Department to Capita Group plc in each year from 2000-01 to the most recent available date; what the cost was of each contract; what penalties for default were imposed in contract provisions; what the length was of each contract; whether the contract was advertised; how many companies applied for the contract; how many were short-listed; what criteria were used for choosing a company; what provision was made for renewal without re-tender in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: In the financial years from 2000-01 to 2006-07, the last full year for when figures are available, the Ministry of Justice and its predecessor Department and agencies' expenditure with the Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries was as follows:
	
		
			
			 2000-01 0 
			 2001-02 3,800 
			 2002-03 17,165 
			 2003-04 12,250 
			 2004-05 498,678 
			 2005-06 1,267,379 
			 2006-07 643,418 
		
	
	The other information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Consultants

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what payments his Department has made to PricewaterhouseCoopers in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much was spent by his Department on consultants in the last 12 months, broken down by consultancy;
	(3)  what the value of contracts between his Department and PricewaterhouseCoopers on private finance initiative projects was in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007. Information for the last 12 months is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure figures are available for the six-month period from April 2007 until September 2007, covering the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and those bodies that were formerly part of the Home Office and which are now part of the Ministry of Justice. In that period, approximately 7 million was spent with external consultants, as detailed in the following table.
	Expenditure with PricewaterhouseCoopers on consultancy in that period was 202,675.00
	Expenditure with PricewaterhouseCoopers on private finance initiative projects in that period was 80,537.00
	
		
			  Service provider  Actual expenditure April to September 2007-08 () 
			 2020 Delivery 83,000 
			 Adam Spriggs 2,000 
			 Alexander and Partners 18,000 
			 Alexander Cameron 7,100 
			 Amtec 2,159 
			 Aon 1,300 
			 Ase Consulting 2,954 
			 Atkins Asset Management (Manchester) 54,544 
			 Atkins Ltd. 97,758 
			 Atlan Resourcing Solutions Ltd. 3,098 
			 Badenoch and Clark Ltd. 722,036 
			 Ben Crowe 8,400 
			 Bird and Bird 66,000 
			 BIT Critical 35,000 
			 BMG Research 3,055 
			 BNB Recruitment Consultancy Ltd. 6,320 
			 Bovis Lend Lease 4,700 
			 Bridley Consulting 7,943 
			 Capita Resourcing Ltd. 2,069 
			 Cardiff University 133 
			 Centre for Public Innovation 12,750 
			 CESG 6,816 
			 CMAS, June Shurmer 300 
			 CMG Logica 110,948 
			 COI Communications 52,146 
			 Collinson Grant Ltd., part of the Walker Cox consortium 189,050 
			 David Nooney 4,800 
			 DBI Consulting 3,094 
			 Delia Coonan 1,174 
			 Development Planning Partnership 65,329 
			 Digits Industries Ltd. 2,174 
			 Drivers Jonas 27,759 
			 Dun and Bradstreet Ltd. 8,106 
			 Eclipse 10,000 
			 Education Training and Counselling Ltd. 3,337 
			 Effortmark 2,820 
			 Enterprise plc. 3,337 
			 Ernst and Young 360,000 
			 Exeter University 60,000 
			 First Assist 2,322 
			 Fujitsu Services Ltd. 14,525 
			 Gapgemini 177,300 
			 Gartner UK Ltd. 2,500 
			 Generic Software Consultants Ltd. 212 
			 GVA Grimleys 47,496 
			 Harrop Associates Ltd. 7,938 
			 Hartley 12,000 
			 Hazel Genn 3,600 
			 Heath Lambert 4,020 
			 Hedra 40,000 
			 Helen Arnold 51,197 
			 Hensby Communications 1,125 
			 Hewitt Bacon and Woodrow Ltd. 3,506 
			 Higham Dunnett Shaw 3,525 
			 Hudson Global Resources Ltd. 802,504 
			 Huntress Search Ltd. 95,411 
			 Hurst Associates Ltd. 13,990 
			 Impact Plus 20,000 
			 IPSOS MORI 20,293 
			 JCT Communications Ltd. 7,011 
			 Jo O'Driscoll 4,209 
			 John Garnett 24,415 
			 June Shurmer 375 
			 KM Research and Consultancy Ltd. 8,343 
			 KPMG 189,671 
			 Law Absolute 11,135 
			 Lawson Bishop 10,585 
			 LEAPFROG PUBLIC RELATIONS 13,860 
			 London Economics 7,459 
			 M. Boleat Consulting 10,800 
			 Matrix 66,729 
			 MBSM 15,073 
			 Melva Burton 15,000 
			 Mentis Management Consultants Ltd. 3,032 
			 Methods Consulting Ltd. 23,691 
			 Mitchelmores Solicitors 659,525 
			 Modis International Ltd. 49,078 
			 Morgan Hunt 148,827 
			 Mott MacDonald with support from PwC 153,000 
			 Nicholson McBride 18,345 
			 Nick Sanderson 9,555 
			 Office of Government Commerce 54,797 
			 Oliver Wyman 225,000 
			 Oracle Corporation UK Ltd. 1,214 
			 PA Consulting 198,897 
			 Pakes 3,500 
			 Parity Resources Ltd. 61,853 
			 Partnerships UK 158,850 
			 Pat Johnstone 6,400 
			 Penna Interim Executive 9,957 
			 Portchester Micro Tools Ltd. 28,200 
			 PRAESTA 5,640 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 202,675 
			 Professor Richard Lamming 5,000 
			 Ql Consulting 184,137 
			 Richard Bailey, Esq. 9,700 
			 RM and BR Merkin 500 
			 Robert Walters 11,797 
			 Roy Walmsley 6,315 
			 Rullion Computer Personnel Ltd. 117,858 
			 Russell Reynolds Associates 52,485 
			 Samantha Jones 1,750 
			 Sarah Cooke Ltd. 11,500 
			 Scott-Grant Ltd. 106,297 
			 Security and Standard Consultancy 109,366 
			 Siemens Enterprise Commun. 1,100 
			 SJT Associates 20,608 
			 Sopra Group Ltd. 5,256 
			 STC Energy Management 20,328 
			 Stephanie Grundy 12,373 
			 Stopgap 48,840 
			 Summerhill Consulting 583 
			 Technology Project Services 3,349 
			 The Rial To Consultancy Ltd. 9,915 
			 The Whitehall and Industry Group 13,750 
			 Tower Perrin 143,280 
			 Tribal Consortium 75,734 
			 Turner and Townsend 35,052 
			 University of Portsmouth 100,000 
			 Vice Versa Projects 25,000 
			 Ville and Co. 1,144 
			 Wheelers (Southampton) 86,278 
			 Willis Ltd. 8,402 
			 Winstone 2,500 
			 Wrigglesworth Consultancy Ltd. 3,187 
			 Grand total 7,015,057

Firearms Act 1968: Convictions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) cases have been brought and  (b) convictions there have been in each police area for offences under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty of offences under Section 5 of the 1968 Firearms Act broken down by police force area in 2006 are in the following table. Data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under Section 5 of the 1968 Firearms Act, broken down by police force area, England and Wales, 2006( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Police force area  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 24 21 
			 Bedfordshire 6 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 11 8 
			 Cheshire 20 16 
			 City of London 6 1 
			 Cleveland 8 8 
			 Cumbria 7 3 
			 Derbyshire 11 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 12 11 
			 Dorset 8 8 
			 Durham 7 6 
			 Essex 34 26 
			 Gloucestershire 4 5 
			 Greater Manchester 108 94 
			 Hampshire 27 24 
			 Hertfordshire 24 23 
			 Humberside 13 11 
			 Kent 27 28 
			 Lancashire 24 18 
			 Leicestershire 18 16 
			 Lincolnshire 8 6 
			 Merseyside 54 56 
			 Metropolitan police 385 317 
			 Norfolk 12 9 
			 North Yorkshire 6 5 
			 Northamptonshire 2 2 
			 Northumbria 43 34 
			 Nottinghamshire 28 30 
			 South Yorkshire 40 35 
			 Staffordshire 10 9 
			 Suffolk 8 8 
			 Surrey 7 7 
			 Sussex 20 15 
			 Thames Valley 27 20 
			 Warwickshire 8 6 
			 West Mercia 13 11 
			 West Midlands 84 78 
			 West Yorkshire 45 47 
			 Wiltshire 14 7 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 1 
			 Gwent 11 7 
			 North Wales 16 8 
			 South Wales 16 15 
			 England and Wales 1,258 1,077 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The found guilty column may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year, or the defendant was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.

Homicide: Bail

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people charged with  (a) murder and  (b) crimes of violence were granted bail in the last five years.

Maria Eagle: An estimated 64,800 people were granted bail by the courts for offences included in the 'violence against the person' group in England and Wales in 2006 (latest available). This includes those held in custody at some stage during proceedings. Data on bail is not sufficiently robust to permit a more detailed breakdown of the offences involved.

Legal Aid Scheme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on the availability of high quality legal aid to the poorest members of society.

Maria Eagle: The legal aid system focuses resources on areas of greatest needparticularly the socially excluded and the types of problems they may face. Most civil legal aid is means tested, and those in receipt of certain passporting benefits are provided with legal aid without having to make any financial contribution. Under criminal legal aid, free advice and assistance is available to suspects at the police station. Whilst legal representation for defendants at the Crown court is not means tested, defendants at the magistrates court must be financially eligible, although a range of passporting provisions exempt certain vulnerable groups from this test. Since the introduction of the Access to Justice Act 1999, all legal aid providers have to meet strict quality standards.
	The current programme of legal aid reform is designed to maximise value for money from legal aid spending, so that the Legal Services Commission can fund assistance to as many people as possible within the available resources. At the same time reform is designed to maintain, and where possible improve, the quality of advice provided.

Magistrates

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions since the implementation of the Licensing Act magistrates have awarded costs against objectors; and what written guidance he has given to magistrates on the exercise of their discretion to award such costs.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the award of costs against objectors in licensing cases. It would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to issue guidance to magistrates on the award of costs since this is a matter of judicial discretion. The Justices' Clerks Society and the Magistrates Association, in conjunction with the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS), published an article in The Magistrate magazine setting out as a principle that the award of costs against an unsuccessful individual, including objectors, should be exceptional.

Offenders: Offensive Weapons

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received  (a) custodial and  (b) non-custodial sentences on conviction for offences which included the carrying or use of a knife in Essex in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The following table gives the number of people sentenced for offences of carrying a knife from 2004 to 2006. These offences are having an article with a blade or point in a public place, having an article with a blade or point on school premises, possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse and possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises.
	Figures for 2007 will be available from autumn 2008.
	In such instances as a robbery or violent assault where an individual has used a knife or other offensive weapon then they will be sentenced for the more serious transgression, and the figures do not isolate the specific use of a knife in such circumstances.
	
		
			  Persons( 1)  sentenced for offences of carrying knives or offensive weapons, by outcome, Essex courts( 2)  , 2004 - 06 
			  Offence  Statute  Year  Total persons sentenced  Non-custodial sentence  Custodial sentence 
			 Having an article with a blade or point in a public place Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 3 2004 179 132 47 
			   2005 150 93 57 
			   2006 149 108 41 
			   
			 Having an article with a blade or point on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 139A(1) and (5)(1) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 2004 1 1  
			   2005 2 2  
			   2006 2 1 1 
			   
			 Possession of offensive weapons(3) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse Prevention of Crime Act 1953 sec 1 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 2(1) 2004 123 94 29 
			   2005 97 77 20 
			   2006 105 86 19 
			   
			 Possession of offensive weapons(3) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 Sec 139A(2) and (5)(b) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 2004 2 2  
			   2005 1 1  
			   2006 1 1  
			 (1 )Principal offence basis. (2 )Magistrates courts in Essex and the Crown court if committed by magistrates in Essex. (3 )Will include knives, but information collected centrally does not provide a distinction between them and other offensive weapons.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source:  RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Operation Safeguard

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has been invoiced for costs incurred under Operation Safeguard in each month since it came into force, broken down by police force; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Police forces involved in Operation Safeguard charge NOMS in arrears for the cost of making police cells available to accommodate prisoners.
	Safeguard use began again in October 2006 but no invoices were paid between October and December 2006.
	We cannot provide accurate figures for the cost of Operation Safeguard per police force per month because invoices usually only provide the overall period covered, which may be several months.
	However, the following tables show the amounts paid in each month in 2007, broken down by police force, and the value of currently outstanding invoices.
	
		
			  Police force  January  February  March  April  May  June  July 
			 ACPO56,239.81   57,898.09 
			 Bedfordshire
			 Cambridgeshire   374,788.74 
			 Cheshire 701,875.38   
			 Cumbria   28,558.28 
			 Derbyshire151,809.50  163,653.68  
			 Devon and Cornwall70,486.36   221,132.80 
			 Dorset  101,211.01  
			 Durham143,397.37 52,271.08 128,655.09 177,277.66 
			 Dyfed-Powys 48,107.05 28,858.96 38,547.56  53,562.21  151,040.56 
			 Essex  158,322.86   496,417.95 179,637.95 387,088.75 
			 Greater Manchester85,367.87   665,178.66 
			 Gwent
			 Hampshire
			 Hertfordshire   543,460.70 
			 Kent  109,933.41 469.31 195,887.94  88,112.96 279,960.86 
			 Lancashire   172,651.00 
			 Leicestershire
			 Lincolnshire 81,571.06   132,847.87 112,837.86 95,047.14 87,928.96 
			 Merseyside 418,089.45   
			 Metropolitan 741,392.96  1,274,957.99 
			 North Wales 186,284.18 52,202.23  
			 Northamptonshire   214,667.02215,202.38 
			 Northumbria100,682.00   152,778.00 
			 South Wales   734,764.65 
			 South Yorkshire   66,549.07 
			 Suffolk124,681.07
			 Sussex   133,925.42 
			 Thames Valley  187,736.42 201,926.74 130,181.32 -270.00  324,730.41 
			 West Midlands 393,469.77  334,387.20 
			 Warwickshire99,488.63   192,315.36 
			 West Yorkshire73,729.71 152,420.21 95,346.77  
			 Wiltshire   55,379.17 
			 Total 129,678.11 484,851.65 455,610.63 1,364,799.45 3,308,351.05 903,866.83 6,631,954.71 
		
	
	
		
			  Police force  August  September  October  November  December  Invoices to be processed and paid  Total invoiced 
			 ACPO  145,465.03  53,827.94   313,430.87 
			 Bedfordshire 59,433.20   193,388.59  82,436.42 335,258.21 
			 Cambridgeshire   374,788.74 
			 Cheshire  798,886.66 244,163.85   1,195,540.62 2,940,466.51 
			 Cumbria   92,997.58121,555.86 
			 Derbyshire 139,243.15   119,902.03   574,608.36 
			 Devon and Cornwall 225,716.94  90,097.12 102,522.14  134,872.41 844,827.77 
			 Dorset 99,929.69 122,670.96 323,811.66 
			 Durham  86,599.80 588,201.00 
			 Dyfed-Powys 207,208.34 50,047.61  2,799.54   580,171.83 
			 Essex  403,838.17  179,921.85 192,177.83  1,997,405.36 
			 Greater Manchester  244,504.12 995,050.65 
			 Gwent  11,905.914,361.55 16,267.46 
			 Hampshire 286,621.81 311,102.78 597,724.59 
			 Hertfordshire 124,347.56 92,396.33 103,312.82 112,402.90  103,692.63 1,079,612.94 
			 Kent  128,087.77 138,931.35 260,616.66   1,202,000.26 
			 Lancashire 722,871.00  895,522.00 
			 Leicestershire  250,451.26 250,451.26 
			 Lincolnshire 110,610.13  165,973.65   108,986.38 895,803.05 
			 Merseyside   418,089.45 
			 Metropolitan   1,447,146.96  1,127,760.01  4,591,257.92 
			 North Wales629,533.63  1,679.39 869,699.43 
			 Northamptonshire498,848.38   928,717.78 
			 Northumbria 64,294.00  68,813.00 29,017.00   415,584.00 
			 South Wales   734,764.65 
			 South Yorkshire 72,615.09 78,630.99 48,598.65   98,122.82 364,516.62 
			 Suffolk   242,282.74366,963.81 
			 Sussex   133,925.42 
			 Thames Valley 126,191.57 142,061.61 119,304.76   256,657.38 1,488,520.21 
			 West Midlands 163,304.63601,143.05  1,492,304.65 
			 Warwickshire   291,803.99 
			 West Yorkshire 376,338.30 110,348.82 126,286.64934,470.45 
			 Wiltshire  -9,691.35 45,687.82 
			 Total 2,055,854.41 2,656,203.69 2,887,909.12 2,182,780.66 2,643,951.89 2,297,452.38 28,003,264.58

Prisoners

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners under 21-years-old there were in each week since 26 January 2007.

Maria Eagle: Data on the prison population, including a breakdown by age, are published monthly on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	The following table shows the number of young people held in prison establishments as at the end of each month since January 2007:
	
		
			  Monthly published totals of young persons held in all prison establishments in England and Wales: January to December 2007 
			   15 to 17-year-olds  Young adults( 1) 
			 January 2,385 9,276 
			 February 2,418 9,286 
			 March 2,413 9,311 
			 April 2,402 9,425 
			 May 2,450 9,364 
			 June 2,428 9,455 
			 July 2,472 9,418 
			 August 2,473 9,545 
			 September 2,485 9,533 
			 October 2,441 9,544 
			 November 2,357 9,542 
			 December not yet available  
			 (1) Young adults are those aged 18 to 20 and those 21-year-olds who were aged 20 or under at conviction who have not yet been reclassified as part of the adult population. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Education

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on providing educational courses to offenders serving custodial sentences in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	In the financial year 2006-07, the overall spend by the Learning and Skills Council on the delivery of the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service in custodial establishments to adult offenders was 115 million.

Prisoners: Education

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what language courses are offered to offenders serving custodial sentences.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The majority of language courses offered to offenders held in English public sector prisons are English language coursesto incorporate literacy skills and key skills in communication, which is a vital aspect in improving the employability prospects of offenders. English is also offered to speakers of other languages.
	A small number of European languages including German, Spanish, French and Welsh is offered to a minority of offenders in English public sector prisons based on an assessment of need.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offender behaviour programmes are accredited for use in prisons; and what the title is of each programme.

Maria Eagle: There are 17 offending behaviour programmes that have been accredited/provisionally accredited for use in prisons in England and Wales.
	They are as follows:
	Chromisa programme for violent offenders with high levels of psychopathy
	Cognitive Self Change Programme (CSCP)
	Cognitive Skills Booster programme (CSB) (still provisionally accredited)
	Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it (CALM)
	Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS)
	FORa resettlement programme
	Healthy Relationships Programme (HRP)
	JETSa cognitive skills course for juveniles
	Reasoning and Rehabilitation (R and R)
	Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP)
	core
	extended
	rolling
	adapted
	booster
	adapted booster
	healthy sexual functioning
	Think First

Prisons: Education

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 16 October 2007,  Official Report, column 954W, on prisons: education, when the randomised control trial of enhanced thinking skills will be published.

David Hanson: The evaluation of HM Prison Service accredited Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) programme (The Treatment Chance ProjectTCP) aims to examine the impact of ETS courses on impulsivity in adult male offenders over the age of 18, and to investigate whether changes in levels of impulsivity were reflected in changes in prison behaviour.
	The TCP was conducted as a Randomised Control Trial (RCT), and as such is the first large-scale RCT evaluating the impact of ETS in prisons.
	The draft report is at the peer review stage, with publication scheduled for April 2008.

Prisons: Employment

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners were employed on average in each prison workshop in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many prisoners were  (a) employed in workshops,  (b) employed outside workshops and  (c) without work in each adult male training prison in England and Wales on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The Prison Service does not keep central records of the number of prisoners employed in each prison workshop or those without work but instead records the average weekly number of prisoners involved in workshops at each prison. The table shows, for the last 10 full years for which the information is available, the average weekly numbers of prisoners involved in workshops by prison.
	There are no reliable records available on non-workshop employment, and this data have not therefore been included. Such records cannot now be recreated due to the absence of historical data at establishments.
	
		
			  Establishment  Function  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Acklington Category C 152 159 190 199 180 186 192 185 159 145 
			 Albany Category B 113 129 127 119 106 87 0 100 120 110 
			 Aldington Category C 38 40 24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Altcourse Male Local 0 72 146 170 182 192 188 186 173 230 
			 Ashfield Male Juvenile n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ashwell Category C 127 135 146 150 128 156 154 143 150 168 
			 Askham Grange Female Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Aylesbury Male Closed YOI 7 11 22 24 28 25 25 30 33 17 
			 Bedford Male Local 67 62 83 77 61 50 50 51 51 40 
			 Belmarsh Male Local 42 56 101 96 88 87 87 72 84 69 
			 Birmingham Male Local 83 100 111 109 108 96 87 144 185 204 
			 Blakenhurst Male Local 0 116 119 130 96 78 83 74 89 111 
			 Blantyre House Semi Open 0 0 7 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Blundeston Category C 64 69 65 75 77 82 79 75 93 88 
			 Brinsford Male Closed YOI 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bristol Male Local 47 45 99 84 92 96 72 66 59 51 
			 Brixton Male Local 21 0 0 7 1 0 0 0 28 18 
			 Brockhill Category C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Bronzefield Female Local n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1 40 49 
			 Buckley Hall Category C 0 84 98 122 94 64 80 111 71 83 
			 Bullingdon Male Local 46 70 86 68 92 84 93 102 111 131 
			 Bullwood Hall Category C 12 11 6 17 17 15 13 11 15 10 
			 Camp Hill Category C 78 70 66 83 83 80 69 76 66 65 
			 Canterbury Category C 18 28 54 57 58 52 45 50 55 58 
			 Cardiff Male Local 119 125 109 136 116 126 129 105 108 110 
			 Castington Male Closed YOI 33 30 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Channings Wood Category C 127 142 143 138 140 131 124 138 118 103 
			 Chelmsford Male Local 58 57 62 55 57 61 55 76 58 122 
			 Colchester Male Open YOI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Coldingley Category C 127 115 0 0 0 0 0 142 138 136 
			 Cookham Wood Male Juvenile 70 52 46 54 48 40 41 68 84 82 
			 Dartmoor Category C 112 133 151 137 155 148 136 115 111 103 
			 Deerbolt Male Closed YOI 15 14 17 15 14 16 16 15 14 19 
			 Doncaster Male Local 0 0 16 29 37 36 13 39 45 32 
			 Dorchester Male Local 20 20 20 17 19 18 8 12 0 0 
			 Dovegate Category B n/a n/a n/a n/a 148 172 154 112 113 112 
			 Dover Semi Open 17 23 29 24 16 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Downview Female Closed 39 37 36 14 22 37 21 38 47 47 
			 Drake Hall Semi Open 74 69 63 50 61 59 68 84 82 75 
			 Durham Male Local 125 184 208 176 141 119 109 99 84 82 
			 East Sutton Park Female Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park Female Local 0 0 23 17 17 13 7 10 0 0 
			 Edmunds Hill Category C n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 16 11 17 28 
			 Elmley Male Local 20 22 76 120 107 106 110 110 92 580 
			 Erlestoke Category C 16 16 26 31 51 62 51 60 55 53 
			 Everthorpe Category C 106 136 183 129 128 100 88 93 100 210 
			 Exeter Male Local 3 1 34 54 74 64 54 42 45 48 
			 Featherstone Category C 209 237 254 223 232 241 234 223 229 254 
			 Feltham Male Closed YOI 8 9 9 8 7 0 0 4 2 2 
			 Ford Male Open 51 51 60 47 65 61 59 64 106 109 
			 Forest Bank Male Local n/a n/a 31 108 140 151 167 153 117 114 
			 Foston Hall Female Closed 8 10 17 18 11 17 15 14 15 13 
			 Frankland Dispersal 84 84 94 91 145 125 125 134 99 141 
			 Full Sutton Dispersal 112 164 166 141 132 114 127 94 104 71 
			 Garth Category B 139 165 173 164 141 142 143 103 94 96 
			 Gartree Category B 91 99 122 107 89 99 106 119 102 95 
			 Glen Parva Male Closed YOI 50 49 43 0 64 65 57 40 46 54 
			 Gloucester Male Local 13 10 12 24 20 11 14 20 12 11 
			 Grendon Category B 5 0 11 11 10 10 12 9 4 1 
			 Guys Marsh Category C 26 61 74 91 114 118 119 127 124 125 
			 Haslar Semi Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hatfield Male Open YOI n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 Haverigg Category C 271 251 202 192 274 281 266 209 156 157 
			 Hewell Grange Male Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Highdown Male Local 30 36 34 43 59 49 52 54 58 43 
			 Highpoint Category C 53 52 102 115 133 115 105 126 123 124 
			 Hindley Male Closed YOI 22 65 44 48 74 98 67 46 45 6 
			 Hollesley Bay Male Open 21 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Holloway Female Local 9 5 42 142 0 0 7 3 10 6 
			 Holme House Male Local 64 99 95 88 99 77 105 93 104 83 
			 Hull Male Local 78 108 95 91 100 91 129 110 157 155 
			 Huntercombe Male Juvenile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kennet Category C n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Kingston Category B 36 37 43 38 44 59 34 26 48 53 
			 Kirkham Male Open 222 212 163 157 127 109 129 142 119 111 
			 Kirklevington Semi Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 5 
			 Lancaster Category C 26 19 15 10 15 9 8 2 3 1 
			 Lancaster Farms Male Closed YOI 20 20 16 10 15 11 3 0 0 0 
			 Latchmere House Semi Open 7 8 13 19 19 29 10 11 11 11 
			 Leeds Male Local 140 129 454 191 192 173 132 138 235 128 
			 Leicester Male Local 55 53 46 44 46 116 50 30 10 1 
			 Lewes Male Local 65 78 82 84 68 103 85 81 73 40 
			 Leyhill Male Open 59 75 83 82 81 64 68 66 62 59 
			 Lincoln Male Local 183 175 171 166 165 135 115 107 114 108 
			 Lindholme Category C 38 43 55 62 57 56 47 46 39 33 
			 Littlehey Category C 211 194 199 185 180 194 189 183 171 151 
			 Liverpool Male Local 319 328 326 286 222 115 233 251 245 221 
			 Long Lartin Dispersal 71 62 96 90 103 132 118 111 114 108 
			 Low Newton Female Local 11 16 27 28 33 33 53 25 21 0 
			 Lowdham Grange Category B 0 0 176 157 196 199 196 166 168 120 
			 Maidstone Category C 209 187 175 169 120 138 138 158 129 149 
			 Manchester Male Local 196 226 217 218 214 200 177 147 172 169 
			 Moorland Category C 64 85 91 85 88 114 88 106 135 137 
			 Morton Hall Semi Open 8 16 20 12 33 91 160 160 127 149 
			 Mount Category C 74 113 113 117 130 139 127 109 147 171 
			 New Hall Female Local 32 92 78 77 66 63 65 69 67 62 
			 North Sea Camp Male Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 13 8 8 
			 Northallerton Male Closed YOI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norwich Male Local 68 67 50 50 61 57 57 61 73 62 
			 Nottingham Male Local 26 47 95 93 104 116 105 86 76 70 
			 Onley Category C 37 40 83 78 71 72 79 90 104 115 
			 Parc Male Local 0 149 1245 115 136 123 127 195 180 190 
			 Parkhurst Category B 104 113 111 115 109 84 96 86 120 123 
			 Pentonville Male Local 115 164 206 211 210 122 137 134 108 32 
			 Portland Male Closed YOI 31 33 32 26 24 24 18 13 15 15 
			 Preston Male Local 54 56 149 56 70 54 60 48 39 28 
			 Ranby Category C 133 186 259 211 189 1102 218 217 245 264 
			 Reading Male Closed YO1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Risley Category C 110 114 103 115 145 144 193 181 161 170 
			 Rochester Male Closed YO1 27 12 12 36 43 59 0 41 156 67 
			 Rye Hill Category B n/a n/a 0 109 188 243 175 154 145 211 
			 Send Female Closed 19 19 21 60 20 32 22 21 23 21 
			 Shepton Mallet Category C 20 19 25 22 20 32 38 41 47 40 
			 Shrewsbury Male Local 84 109 137 112 114 204 73 68 65 82 
			 Stafford Category C 187 190 204 213 243 228 245 224 218 254 
			 Standford Hill Male Open 30 29 17 35 39 80 63 64 82 57 
			 Stocken Category C 53 63 159 123 118 121 114 96 89 90 
			 Stoke Heath Male Closed YOI 82 114 106 102 107 109 93 95 107 108 
			 Styal Female Local 34 37 56 52 50 36 27 26 17 23 
			 Sudbury Male Open 93 93 91 88 89 82 117 82 83 72 
			 Swaleside Category B 38 50 38 40 133 199 188 194 90 95 
			 Swansea Male Local 49 68 66 60 46 58 54 0 0 0 
			 Swinfen Hall Male Closed YOI 5 15 31 32 31 24 31 25 21 27 
			 Thorn Cross Male Open YOI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Usk Category C 11 0 35 35 38 38 33 26 27 22 
			 Verne Category C 104 108 134 112 120 124 112 115 118 105 
			 Wakefield Dispersal 207 202^ 185 187 310 183 105 56 61 58 
			 Wandsworth Male Local 165 176 186 153 130 129 169 204 115 29 
			 Warren Hill Male Juvenile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wayland Category C 101 92 88 93 81 57 33 33 36 34 
			 Wealstun Category C 87 189 176 197 212 209 201 209 268 246 
			 Weare Category C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wellingborough Category C 0 0 32 38 83 67 52 16 60 84 
			 Werrington Male Juvenile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wetherby Male Juvenile 0 0 35 29 25 10 4 0 0 0 
			 Whatton Category C 27 25 58 53 50 61 50 46 50 92 
			 Whitemoor Dispersal 99 114 89 93 150 105 95 100 76 92 
			 Winchester Male Local 93 86 93 91 108 73 65 62 59 56 
			 Wolds Category C 43 88 82 72 72 72 38 41 40 39 
			 Woodhill Male Local 0 0 8 7 4 5 8 0 0 0 
			 Wormwood Scrubs Male Local 94 96 110 92 108 105 81 50 124 177 
			 Wymott Category C 482 340 345 341 301 291 282 282 282 329 
			 Grand total  8,306 9,480 12,109 10,576 11,120 11,824 10,320 10,228 10,403 10,834

Prisons: Food

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of food procured by the Prison Service was of UK origin in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1150W.

Reoffenders

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the re-conviction rate was for prisoners who had completed offender behaviour programmes in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The proven re-offending rate for offenders discharged from prison was 64.7 per cent. in 2004. When controlling for offender characteristics, there has been a 4.6 per cent. reduction since 2000.
	We do not have data on re-offending rates for offenders discharged from prison who had completed offender behaviour programmes.

Sentencing: Young People

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young people received custodial sentences in relation to driving offences in each of the last five years; and how many young people committed driving offences in that period.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of young people, aged 10-17 and 18-20, who were given a custodial sentence, and the total number sentenced, in each of the last five years for motoring offences.
	
		
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  10-17  
			 Total sentenced 1,277 1,370 1,184 905 750 
			 Immediate custody 707 800 656 489 360 
			   
			  18-20  
			 Total sentenced 3,920 4,015 3,313 2,734 2,164 
			 Immediate custody 3,042 3,089 2,448 1,996 1,467 
			   
			  All young people  
			 Total sentenced 5,197 5,385 4,497 3,639 2,914 
			 Immediate custody 3,749 3,889 3,104 2,485 1,827